Konoha Middle School
by Hikari Midori-chan
Summary: Ch. 15 Up! As the screen started playing the performance, Nori glanced about the room, looking for a certain someone. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see…“Hello,” Gaara whispered, sitting down next to her. Nori smiled. “Hello.” COMPLET
1. Chapter 1

OMG I MADE A NARUTO FANFIC! YAY!

Before we start, I've got some stuff to warn you about:

1) This is my first Naruto fic.

2) I haven't seen all that many episodes of Naruto.

3) This is a school fic that takes place in Middle School and not High School. I happen to know that there are a lot of school-fics floating around everywhere and some are either fantastic, okay, and terrible. My hope is that this would turn out to be one of the fantastic ones.

4) I have an OC in here, so please don't kill me.

5) I'm light on swearing. Actually, I don't really swear at all. So if you like swearing to a full extent then I suggest that you go and read an M or T-rated fic because there is no swearing here. I am pure. Thank you.

6) I'm trying to make sure people are in character. You can take that in a good way or a bad way. I prefer it in a good way.

Wow, with all these things that might turn my fic into a nightmare, it's hard to think that I'd get any reviews at all! Oh well! On with the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Hiroshi Nori stood in front of the principal of Konoha Middle School, a blond woman that probably had a few surgeries to make herself look way younger than she really was. Nori had an emotionless look on her face, though she tried to smile once in a while. She had just come to get her new seventh grade schedule for the year, but the principal just seemed to ramble on about who-knows-what. Nori was only half-listening to Principal Tsunade.

"Anyway, welcome to Konoha and I hope you have a good stay," Tsunade finished. "Here's your schedule."

"Thank you," Nori said, taking the paper and half-smiling.

"You'll be able to explore the grounds," Tsunade called after Nori as she walked out the door. "Maybe you should put some of your things in your new locker! The classrooms and lockers are on the other side of campus, just so you know. The grounds are pretty big, so don't get lost!"

"I won't," Nori answered. "Thank you."

When Nori had come to this school, she didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. She was too depressed to look at anything or anyone. But now, she decided that she should be more…optimistic, maybe. She looked around.

Tsunade was right, it _was _a big school. Bigger than any other school she had been to. There were large courtyards and greenery decorated the campus everywhere. The plants were probably the most numerous things in the school if it weren't for the many students. They were all happy, laughing and chatting with each other.

Nori looked up at the sky which was blue and crisp. There were a few white cotton candy clouds too. No wonder everyone was so hap—

"Argh!"

"What the—"

Nori had tripped over something and fell flat on her face. Her backpack (which was more of a large bag) was strewn to the side with all her supplies. Papers, pencils, everything was out of her bag.

The new student spat grass and dirt out of her mouth and blew a strand of auburn hair out of her face. Apparently her hair tie never caught every strand of her thick hair whenever she put it up.

She sat up, looked over her shoulder, and gasped. She saw her bag and supplies, but what made her gasp was a boy with brown hair tied in a ponytail that stuck up and an exasperated look on his face. He had been lying on his back gazing at the clouds when someone tripped over him.

"Oh geez, I'm sorry," Nori apologized, jumping up. "Are you okay? I can't believe I didn't see you there." She started gathering up her things. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's nothing," the boy said, picking up her notebooks. Even though she tripped over his stomach, he was still a boy and she was still a girl so he had to act like a gentleman, right? Right.

"I'm so sorry," Nori repeated. She still looked anxious. "This is so not a good time," she muttered.

"You okay?" the boy asked, raising an eyebrow. "It was just an accident."

"It isn't that," Nori said, wincing. "I mean…I'm fine. Really. Thanks."

"No problem," the boy said.

"I'm Nori," Nori introduced, gluing a small smile on her face. "That is, Hiroshi Nori."

"Nara Shikamaru," the boy said, shaking her hand. "Just look where you're going next time, okay?"

"Count on it," Nori smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Later." He nodded then spread himself on the ground again.

Nori turned extremely red as she walked away. No, she didn't have a crush in that boy, no matter how courteous he had been. No, she wasn't embarrassed. No, she wasn't mad at him for just lying down "in the middle of the road." She was just frustrated, extremely frustrated with herself. She felt as if her life couldn't get any worse. The school was nice, the people were _probably _nice, and the principal wasn't half bad either, so why was she so depressed?

_Don't remind yourself, Nori, _she thought. She sighed. _But I can't stop thinking about—_

"Akamaru, no!"

Nori's thoughts were interrupted by a small weight on her chest that pushed her down onto the ground and started giving her big wet kisses all over her face. "Ack!"

"Stop it!"

The weight had been lifted and Nori wiped her face as good as she could. She opened her eyes to see a worried boy with messy brown hair and red marks on his face. "I'm sorry! Please don't tell! I'm sorry!" the boy exclaimed frantically.

"What?" Nori asked. "Don't tell what? About the dog?"

The boy nodded.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Nori said. "Don't worry about it."

"You sure? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good, but I meant about Akamaru."

"Oh, your secret's safe with me."

"That's great," the boy grinned. "It's funny, he's not usually so wired. He usually obeys me. My guess is that he really likes you or you smell like dog food and biscuits. Or maybe it was that I just fed him his favorite treat and he was excited. Yeah, that's probably it. I'm Inuzuka Kiba, by the way."

"Hiroshi Nori," Nori said.

"Oh, he got your clothes stained," Kiba remarked. "Sorry."

"I don't mind," Nori said. "I think they were already stained from a different…accident." She winced at her words. "It's fine. Well, I really have to go."

"Okay. Hey, do you want to eat lunch with me?" Kiba asked. "I'll save you a seat."

"Okay, thanks," Nori smiled.

"Cool. Bye!" Kiba said, waving. He ran, hiding Akamaru in his hood. "See ya!"

Akamaru barked.

Nori waved slightly back. Maybe her day was brightening. Suddenly, a boy dashed past her.

SPLAT.

Or maybe her day was just getting worse.

"Ahahahaha! I mean, whoops!"

Nori's shirt soaked up the massive amount of water that was in the water balloon. The impact of the water balloon made her fall down for the _third _time today, not to mention it completely freaked her out. That hurt.

A blond boy with spiky hair and a loud orange and blue attire was trying to consume his laughter. It wasn't working so well. He had whiskers on his face as well.

Nori growled. She walked up to the boy slowly and glared at him. He looked up at her with blue eyes. He was short. Nori held up her hands to her shirt and wrung the bottom out. By this time, her shirt was entirely wet. Then she punched his lights out. Who wouldn't?

"Argh!"

The blond boy jumped back, covering his eye. "What was that for?"

Nori cleared her throat and made a gesture towards her soaked shirt. "For ambushing me with a water balloon!"

"It wasn't meant for you!"

"Well then you have terrible aim!"

"Hey!"

Nori just scowled at the boy. "You'd better watch it."

"Looks like you're in trouble again, Uzumaki," said a voice behind Nori.

She turned around to see a boy with night-black hair and gorgeous black eyes, but right now Nori wasn't focusing on his looks. This was probably the boy who ran past her and the person who that Uzumaki boy was aiming for. "Is this guy your friend or something?"

"Yeah right," the boy said coolly. "He's just on my case all the time because I'm better than him at everything."

"In your dreams, Sasuke!" Uzumaki shouted.

"Denial is a sad thing, Naruto," the boy called Sasuke said back. "And if you don't want another black eye I suggest you apologize to her."

"Oh, what do you care?" Naruto said, pouting. He turned to Nori and said, "Sorry 'bout the balloon. Here, I have some napkins. Let me—"

"No, no," Nori said, stopping his hand. "That's okay, I can do it." She took the napkins and attempted to dry herself off. Like her day, it wasn't working so well.

"Oh, and I'm Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said, grinning.

"I gathered," Nori said. "Hiroshi Nori."

Sasuke was starting to walk away.

"Wait," Nori said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're Sasuke, right?"

"Yeah," Sasuke answered. "And if you want my number you can just forget it."

"Don't flatter yourself," Nori snorted. "I just wanted to say that I've heard of the great Uchiha Sasuke. That's you, right?"

"That's right."

"Well, it's good to meet you," Nori said politely.

"It's good to everyone," Sasuke retorted.

Nori narrowed her eyes. _What a rude jerk. _She was about to speak her thoughts when something tackled her and Sasuke to the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Argh!"

"Ah!"

Two girls had tackled Sasuke who fell on Nori who fell to the ground. Ouch.

"Oops!"

"Get off him, Ino-pig!"

"You're on him too, Forehead Girl!"

"Hey girls…you're crushing…me…a little…" Nori gasped.

"I'm so sorry," 'Forehead Girl' said. She had pink hair and green eyes. She was true to her nickname. "I didn't mean to hurt you or Sasuke-kun! It's just—"

"No one wants to hear you ramble on," 'Ino-pig' said, crossing her arms. "Maybe if you hadn't gone for him at the same time as me he wouldn't have been hurt!"

"I'm not hurt," Sasuke denied, rubbing his back. Then he glared at the two girls. "I'm _annoyed._"

"Who _are _you two?" Nori asked.

"Oh, I'm Yamanaka Ino," 'Ino-pig' said. She had fair blond hair in a long ponytail and crystal blue eyes. "And this is Forehead Girl."

"Stop calling me that!" 'Forehead Girl' ordered. "My name is Haruno Sakura. Ino-pig's just sore today."

"I am not."

"Hi Sakura-chan," Naruto said dreamily.

Nori looked at Naruto, puzzled. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Hey Naruto? Hello?"

"Save your breath," Sasuke said carelessly. "Whatever's left of that baka's brain always goes blank around her."

"Weird."

"Sakura…chan…"

"Get away, Naruto-baka!" Sakura exclaimed, knocking him on the head.

"Ow! Sakura-chan! Why'd you do that for?"

"Get away!"

"So, Sasuke-kun, do you want to do something together after school?" Ino asked hopefully.

""Hey Ino-pig! That's cheating!" Sakura exclaimed while holding Naruto back, her hand on his forehead. "Arm's length, Naruto!"

"Come on, Sakura! Why don't you ever want to hang out with me?"

"Because you're a troublemaking baka, that's why!"

"Aw…"

"Well, will you Sasuke-kun? Please?" Ino's eyes widened into puppy dog eyes.

"No."

"What?" Ino screamed. "Why not?"

"He already said no!" Sakura exclaimed, pushing Ino to the side. "Will you go with me?"

"No."

"Oh, but why, Sasuke-kun?"

"Move!" Ino jabbed Sakura.

"You move!"

The girls were squabbling and arguing, trying to get 'Sasuke-kun's' attention.

"I'm out of here," Sasuke muttered.

"Later, Sasuke," Nori said. _Later, jerk. _

"Yeah, you'd better run!" Stay away from my woman!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke, shaking his fist.

"Whatever, loser."

Naruto was about to blow steam.

Nori laughed. "This school is so weird." She turned to the girls who just realized that Sasuke had gone. They were walking away dejectedly. _How obsessive can these girls be? _Nori wondered. "Naruto."

"What?"

"Why do they fight over Sasuke like that? He doesn't seem all that special," Nori said.

"How should I know?"

"Must be his good looks, right?"

"If you mean he's a pretty boy know-it-all, then you're right."

"Hm, jealous?"

"Yeah right. What do _you _like him?"

"As if."

"Well, it wouldn't matter anyway," Naruto sniffed. "It only matters that Sakura loves him and doesn't love me! I'm gonna kill Sasuke for that!"

"I don't think you can make her love you. She seems pretty solid when it comes to Sasuke."

"So?"

"Whatever. I'll see you later, okay?"

"You will?"

"Maybe." She smiled. "You're a pretty interesting guy when you get past the whole water balloon thing."

"Gee, thanks."

Nori walked away. _I have a feeling this guy will spark up this place big time. What a strange boy. _As she got closer to where the field was, she heard a shout.

"Heads up!"

Nori looked up. "Ow!" She rubbed her head. A soccer ball had just bounced off her head. Luckily, she didn't fall _again_, but she felt like she had a Texas-sized bruise on her head. Why did people say heads up anyway? If you don't want to get nailed you wouldn't want to look up, would you? Of course you wouldn't.

The soccer ball dropped to the ground and rolled a few feet away from her.

"Are you okay?" a female voice said.

Nori saw three people: a boy with white eyes and long black hair with a hard stare, a girl with her dark brown hair in buns and eyes to match, and a boy with gigantic eyebrows, round, odd-looking eyes, and black hair cut into a Moe Howard style haircut.

"Yeah…" Nori replied, rubbing her head.

"Imo so sorry," the girl said.

"Neji should apologize," the bushy-browed boy said, turning to the white-eyed boy.

"Sorry," Neji said. "I didn't mean to kick it that far and hard."

"That's okay. I get spiked by _something _all the time nowadays," Nori said. And that wasn't a lie.

"Well, we surely have learned a lesson today, haven't we Neji?" the Moe Howard boy said.

"Yeah," Neji said, glaring at him. "When I'm concentrating on a shot, _don't _start shouting that stupid cheer you made up."

"I thought it was a good cheer, thank you very much," the Moe Howard boy said, offended.

"Well, I'm just glad you didn't give her a concussion," the girl said, her hands on her hips. "Hey, are you new? I don't remember seeing your face around here."

"Yeah, I'm new. Hiroshi Nori's my name."

"That's great," the girl smiled. "Welcome to Konoha. I'm Tenten."

"I am Rock Lee!" the Moe Howard boy introduced, shooting her a bright, blinding smile. "And that is the prestigious Hyuuga Neji!"

The white-eyed boy nodded.

"Prestigious, huh?" Nori smiled.

"And don't you forget it," Neji warned.

"If you don't mind, why is your shirt so wet?" Lee asked curiously.

"Long story," Nori sighed.

"Well, we don't have time for it," Neji said sternly.

"That's okay," Nori said, thought she didn't know why. She wasn't about to tell them what happened anyway.

"Come on, you guys," Neji said, walking back to the field.

"Yes! We must continue our training!" Lee exclaimed enthusiastically. He jogged quickly to Neji.

"Don't mind those two," Tenten whispered. "Neji's big on sports and Lee's real excited about _everything_. They're both really athletic, and they both work themselves to the bone while we're practicing. They've got some kind of rivalry, mostly on Lee's part. I hate to say it, but sometimes I feel pretty inferior to them, but they're still—"

"Tenten!" Lee called. "It's your turn to be goalie!"

"Oh great," Tenten groaned. "Please come to my funeral. Later."

"Bye."

Nori watched the two boys blast soccer balls Tenten's way as she tried to shield herself and the goal. Poor girl. Now she was a few yards away from the building. Dang, this school was _big_. It was probably about ten minutes until classes started.

She saw a large boy searching around on the ground for something. He looked troubled. She couldn't really ignore that, so she squatted down next to him and said, "Looking for something?"

The boy looked up and blushed. He didn't really talk to girls all that much. "Uh…just my bag of chips…"

"Oh," Nori said. "Well, are you all that hungry?"

"Yeah," the boy nodded eagerly. "I had a small breakfast." Probably seven helpings of scrambled eggs, fifteen sausages, twenty slices of bacon, five pieces of bread, and a glass of orange juice.

"Well…I'll help," Nori offered.

"Okay. Oh, and my name's Akimichi Chouji."

"Hiroshi Nori. Nice to meet you."

They looked around for quite a while. Nori felt a little silly, crawling around in the dirt trying to find a bag of potato chips. After looking around some more, she saw a pair of sneakers. She looked up and saw a boy with sunglasses and black hair shaped in an afro-style. He had a huge collared jacket on. "Uh…hi?"

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for something."

"You're on an anthill."

"What the—oh crud!" She felt a few small sparks of pain on her leg. She shot up and started jumping up and down while wiping off her clothes. "Get them off! Get them off!"

The boy took her hand and set her down. "Are you afraid of bugs?" He carefully wiped off her leg and put some kind of lotion on it.

She shuddered. "Sort of. I'm fine when they aren't crawling around on me."

"You were the one who invaded their home."

"True," Nori sighed. "But it was really small. I didn't know."

The boy shrugged. "Just watch where you're going."

"I've heard that before. I'm Hiroshi Nori."

"Aburame Shino," the boy said hesitantly. He stood up and walked away.

_That guy's stranger than Naruto, _Nori thought.

"I found it!" came Chouji's voice.

"Well, that's great," Nori said. She felt her leg. Whatever the boy put on it, it sure helped. "See you later, Chouji."

She was answered by the crunching sounds of the salty snacks in Chouji's mouth.

Nori was finally in the building. Her locker number was number 156. Great. The first locker she saw was number 1. She walked for a very long time. About halfway there, she saw a girl sitting at the side of a classroom looking down and alone.

"Hi."

The girl jumped at the sound of Nori's voice. "H-Hello." The girl had short blue-black hair and white eyes.

"What are you doing in here alone?" Nori asked.

"J-Just s-sitting," the girl said softly.

"Well, you shouldn't Nori said. "You can come with me if you'd like. I just have to put some stuff in my locker. My name's Hiroshi Nori."

"H-Hyuuga Hinata," the girl said shyly. "And I'd l-love t-to come."

"Good, I'd like some company," Nori said, offering her a hand. "Nice to meet you, Hinata."

Hinata took her hand and stood up. The girls walked while having a few snippets of conversation.

"What's your locker number?" Nori asked.

"S-Seventeen…"

"Oh. Um, by any chance, are you…related to someone named Neji?"

"Y-Yes," Hinata said quietly. "H-He's my c-cousin…"

Nori nodded. "I thought so. You have very unique eyes."

"Th-Thank you."

"Nori got to her locker. "So, Hinata, are you new here too?" She opened it and put a few things inside. She also found that there were textbooks for each subject that was placed inside.

"N-No. I was here in s-sixth grade," Hinata stuttered.

Nori smiled. "There's no need to stutter around me, Hinata."

Hinata turned red. "I'm sorry."

Nori was about to tell her not to apologize, but she heard something that stopped her. There were footsteps that seemed to echo down the hallway quietly.

Nori and Hinata turned to see a boy with red hair and a love kanji tattooed on his forehead. The red-haired boy walked over next to Nori and opened the locker next to hers. He placed a few items inside and closed it. He glanced at the two girls with penetrating green eyes. His eyes had black lining around them. Either he was some kind of Goth boy or he seriously needed some sleep.

Hinata made a small sound and stood back behind Nori a little more.

"Uh…hi," Nori said uncertainly.

The boy stared at her. "You're new here."

Nori nodded. "Yeah. My name's Nori."

"I see." The boy looked at her again, then turned and left.

Nori let out a breath when he left. "Phew, that kid's scary."

"I would keep away if I were you," Hinata said quietly. "Mostly everyone does. His name is Gaara."

"Gaara, huh?" Nori said, observing the directing he had gone. "Interesting."

BRING!

The bell that signaled that class would begin in two minutes rang.

"Oh, Hinata," Nori said. "What homeroom do you have to start?"

"Um…Math class," Hinata said, checking her schedule.

"Oh," Nori said. "I have Social Studies…shoot. Well, I'll see you later, then."

"Bye," Hinata waved.

As she walked to class, she reminisced over her morning. She couldn't believe she had been at school for only thirty minutes. She had tripped over a lazy genius gentleman, had been tackled by a small white dog who gave her kisses all over her face, water-ballooned by a psychotic strange blond, gotten crushed by two obsessed girls and a cocky heartthrob, hit in the head by a soccer ball by a white-eyed boy, seen the biggest eyebrows on Earth on an enthusiastic guy, met a new friend who hung out with both guys, searched for a bag of chips with a kid practically ten times wider than she was, gotten bitten by several ants, met a boy with sunglasses with a huge collar, befriended a girl with white eyes and a confidence problem, and was almost scared to death by a red-headed mysterious boy with a love tattoo on his forehead and creepy eyes. (A/N: Geez, that was long.)

She felt her bruises, grass stains, seemingly small and stiffer shirt, and ant bites, which weren't as bad thanks to Shino.

Wow. It was only the first day of school. It wasn't even the first day. It was more of the time _before _the first day and she had already learned something. First days _hurt_.

* * *

Hope it wasn't bad. Or worse. Or terrible. Or--well, you get the point. Usually intros are boring, but I tried to make it as NOT boring as possible. This is what I came out with.

I don't have anyone that Nori could have as a potential love interest. And even though I'm pretty light on the fluff (yes, aren't I completely not fun?) I'll give you lucky readers the choice of her love interest and I'll try not to screw anything up! You are such lucky dogs! So, tell me in the review who you want Nori to end up with. It could be anyone except for anyone of the same gender or WAY older age. That's just wrong. The limit is three years older, okay? Yes, I know I'm no fun. Sorry.

R&R please! Hope you liked it!


	2. Kakashi's Assignment

SECOND CHAPTER!After waiting for like, two weeks, I decided that who was I fooling? I wasn't getting anymore reviews! HA! sigh. I didn't want to keep the people I actually have waiting, so...here ya go! I love you all! all three of you.

Okay, so I didn't get as many reviews as I would've liked, but hey, you've gotta start somewhere, right? I know that my summary was sort of suckish too, so neh. I'm going to go with the advice of one of my reviewers and see how the slight romances roll along in my story. Good call. But just to keep everyone up to date, so far Gaara's the fav. pick. I never would've thought, I swear.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and who knows? Maybe I'll be lucky and actually get even more reviews! Heh, trying to fool myself again. How unlikely. I just hopethe story'srunning along smoothly. Actually finishing this and being a good updater is my main goal.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Late! Late! LATE!" Nori muttered LOUDLY as she ran down the halls. She had stopped by the girls' bathroom to make herself look a little more presentable but it apparently she had a little run-in with a stubborn broken faucet. She left a trail of water as swooped across the halls. She got to Room 7, grabbed the doorknob, slid past, and slammed into the wall. Ow. The pain. She winced and opened the door like a civilized person…who was dripping wet and breathing hard as if she had run a marathon.

"Sorry I'm late sen…sei?" Nori said, looking around. The class was large with rows of desk and a big desk off the side in the front. It was empty. The students were socializing and goofing off.

"Hey! Nori!"

Nori saw a familiar blond boy waving to her from the back of the room. She waved slightly, walked over, and sat down in the empty desk. She saw that Sasuke was sitting at the last row on the left a few desks and a Naruto from hers and Sakura was sitting in the front, glancing back at Sasuke and blushing every few seconds. Shikamaru was looking sleepy…no, wait, he was asleep. The boy she met before, Gaara, was sitting at the desk on the right side of the room that was about two desks from hers.

It seemed that he had some kind of invisible aura that kept people away. It was sure working. He looked a little sad and isolated, though. At least, it seemed that way if you looked past the blank glare of his sea foam eyes. (A/N: I have been confirmed by a true Gaara fan girl cough my best friend cough that his eyes are sea foam. Not green. Sorry.)

"Hey, why're you still wet? And why's your hair wet too?" Naruto asked.

"_Because_," Nori said, wringing out her hair for the third time, this time on top of Naruto's head, "the school's faucets suck."

Naruto laughed. "I could've told you that!"

"Well you didn't," Nori said, sighing. "Where's the teacher anyway?"

"Dunno," Naruto shrugged. "I heard that Bushy Brows kid saying that he was always late and would be late for his own funeral unlike…uh…someone…oh yeah! Gai-sensei I think it was."

Nori nodded.

"Hey, it's fine with me," Naruto said, shrugging again. He leaned back in his chair, then slammed the two front legs down forward. "I just got a great idea!"

"Does it involve pranking?"

"Yes!"

"Pranking me?"

"No."

"Okay. What's your idea?"

"We get a bucket of water and put it on top of the door. That way, when sensei comes in, he'll get all wet!"

Nori stared at him. "Okay, one, why does your pranks always include water. Two, where do you expect to get a bucket. And three, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Is not!" Naruto exclaimed. "And here's a bucket right here!" He dug in his backpack and brought out a bucket.

"You keep a bucket in your backpack?" Nori said doubtfully.

"I just found it, okay?" Naruto said. "Well, are you going to help me or not?"

"Fine," Nori said, rolling her eyes.

The two walked to the sink and started filling the bucket with water.

"I think that's too full," Nori commented.

"It's _fine_," Naruto said, heaving the bucket. He turned around and—

SPLOOSH!"

Nori muffled a squeak.

"Uh…" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "Sorry there, pal."

Gaara looked murderous.

"No hard feelings, right?" Naruto said, backing away. "It was an accident, I swear."

Gaara narrowed his dark-lined eyes and clenched his fist. "You…are going to pay."

"Gaara!" Nori shouted, catching his fist before he could make contact with Naruto. "Stop! You can't blame him, he's a baka!"

"Hey!"

"I don't care," Gaara said. "He's a fool for messing with me."

"Hey," said a voice. Sasuke walked up to them, his feet making small sounds on the water. "Don't mess with them. They're not worth it."

Gaara glared at him. "These friends of yours?"

"Of course not," Sasuke said coolly. "But Nori's right. Naruto's a complete dobe. He's not worth it."

Gaara growled and jerked his fist out of Nori's grasp. "Whatever."

He walked away.

"That guy's scary," Naruto trembled.

"Naruto, you baka!" Nori hissed, slamming her fist on his head. "That's Gaara, you can't mess with him!"

"How'd you know who he was?" Naruto asked, rubbing his head. "I heard he transferred from a school called Suna or something!"

"It doesn't matter," Nori said, crossing her arms. "You're gonna get a load of pain dropped on you if you ever cross _him _again."

"By the end of the year you'll be a heaping pile of ash," Sasuke added.

"Shut up, Sasuke," Naruto said.

"Try thank you so much for saving my worthless butt, Sasuke," Sasuke said, sauntering away to his desk. "Dobe."

"I know you are but what am I!" Naruto shouted. He angrily turned back to his bucket and started filling it up again.

"Naruto, you seriously aren't going to do this stupid prank still, are you?"

"Watch me."

Nori sighed.

Naruto balanced the bucket on top of the door that was opened ajar and chuckled deviously. "Heh, heh. He's coming!"

Nori shook her head.

The two got back in their seats and waited.

The door creaked wider.

SPLASH!

"Ahahahaha!" Naruto laughed.

The class started cracking up, at least, most of the class.

"Oh, sensei!" Sakura exclaimed. "Naruto Uzumaki did it!"

"Thanks a lot, Sakura!" Naruto shouted.

The teacher tipped the wet bucket up, revealing that he wore a mask that covered half of his face. Long, wet gray hair covered his head. "I see."

He strolled to the front of the room and wrung out his clothes. "That means that Mr. Uzumaki will be staying after class helping me clean up all this water."

"Aw man!"

"Now, as much as I hate to do this," the teacher said, "I'm supposed to introduce myself and tell you a few guidelines of the school. Then we have to get to know each other a little, eat lunch, and go home. Today, as you know, is a half-day. Now, I'm Hatake Kakashi…"

The rambled on about rules in a bored tone. Everyone wasn't paying any real attention to him. Why would they? He was boring _himself. _

It seemed like the students were going to die of boredom and hunger when the bell rang, signaling lunch. They all stampeded out like a pack of hungry wolves.

"I uh, don't suppose you have any ramen?" Naruto asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Take it and like it," the lunch lady growled. She plopped something that looked a little like mashed potatoes…that were purple and chunky.

"Where do you wanna sit?" Naruto asked.

Nori looked around. "I told Kiba that I'd sit with him."

"Kiba? The dog-boy? Man, who have you been hanging out with?" Naruto said.

"He seems nice enough. There he is," Nori said, walking over.

Naruto sulkily followed after her. "He's a loud guy who always wants to be the leader, that's what he is."

"And you aren't?" Nori said doubtfully. "Hey, Kiba."

"Hey Nori," Kiba waved. He looked at Naruto and wrinkled his nose. "Who let the trash in?"

"Who's gonna let the dogs out?" Naruto shot back.

Nori rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with you two?"

"Nothing," Kiba laughed. "Naruto's just sore that I got to be team captain last year at Field Day."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Hey guys?" Nori said, looking at her food in a what-the-heck-is-this look on her face. "Is this mashed potatoes or…egg plant?"

"I'm pretty sure its mashed potatoes," Kiba said.

"Then why's it purple?"

"Uh…just have some of my lunch," Kiba said, handing her a piece of jerky.

"Thanks."

"Do you have ramen?"

"Uh, no."

"Oh, okay," Naruto said sadly.

"So how's class?" Nori asked.

"Ah, nothing much," Kiba said. "Our teacher's a woman. She's okay, I guess."

A familiar boy passed by. It was Shino.

"HEY! Shino! Get over here!" Kiba shouted suddenly.

Shino just glanced at him and kept walking.

Kiba jumped up and grabbed him, bringing him to the table. "What, are you deaf or something, buddy?"

"No."

"Come on! Take a load off!" Kiba exclaimed, food flying out of his mouth.

Naruto burst out laughing, spitting out food as well.

"Oh…gross…" Nori said inching away from the two boys.

"Um…Kiba-kun? N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata said uncertainly.

"What's so funny?" Kiba demanded.

"Nothin'," Naruto said, wiping his mouth.

"I think I've lost my appetite," Nori said, "not that I ever had it." She picked dumped her tray.

"A-Are you going home?" Hinata asked.

"Well, yeah," Nori said. "Kakashi-sensei said that it would be a half-day, right?"

"R-Right," Hinata nodded. "Bye, Nori…chan."

"Bye," Nori said, waving slightly. "See ya, boys."

"Bye!" the boys called.

Shino waved and walked away.

The next day was when the real work began. After a few reviews on essays and punctuation, Kakashi announced that he had set up an exercise for everyone to do. Oh boy.

"This is a group exercise," Kakashi explained.

The class groaned.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Come on. Try to be a little more enthusiastic."

"And this is coming from the king of enthusiasm," Nori muttered.

"I heard that, Miss Hiroshi."

"Gomen, Kakashi-sensei."

"Anyway, I'll put you into groups. You'll spend the week together and get to know each other. Each day you'll write a journal entry of what your day was like. The entries have to be at least a paragraph long. On the last day you'll write a two-page essay in fourteen font about your group and how compatible you were. I have your groups all ready…"

He started reciting the groups and their members. The groups were groups of five. It took a while until he got to Nori's group. "…Hiroshi Nori, Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, and Sabaku no Gaara."

_Curse Kakashi. _

The bell rang.

"Remember, you have to do _everything _on your free time with them," Kakashi said. "That means lunch, free periods, and after school time for at least two hours."

"Dude, you landed a group with Sasuke _and _Gaara? Not to mention Shikamaru, the laziest guy on Earth!" Naruto exclaimed.

The two were at their lockers. Naruto's locker was a few lockers over, luckily.

"Don't remind me," Nori sighed. "Shikamaru doesn't sound so bad, but I don't really want to be in a group with a pompous heartthrob, obsessed groupie, and scary psycho."

"Psh," Naruto said, waving her miseries away. "You're new here, how would you know how they're like?"

"Uh, you told me," Nori said slowly.

"Oh yeah."

"Well, I think Kakashi's just put me in a group because I made that little remark," Nori said, slamming her locker angrily. She sqeaked. "Ow. Ow. Crap. That was my finger." She put her finger in her mouth.

Naruto chuckled.

"Oh, what are you so happy about?"

"Nothin'."

MATH CLASS

"So I guess we're in the same group," Shikamaru whispered to her in Asuma's math class.

"Guess so," Nori said. "But personally, I'm kind of glad to be in the same group with a person who isn't insane."

"Thanks, I guess," Shikamaru said.

"Shikamaru?" Asuma said sternly. "Do you have the answer to the question?"

Shikamaru looked up wearily. "Fourteen to the fifth power."

Asuma looked at him bug-eyed. He glanced at the board, thought for a second, and said, "…Yes. Yes! That's correct!" He smiled happily. "Kids! We have a genius in our class!"

Shikamaru groaned.

Nori looked at him strangely. _Wow. Smart cookie. _

LUNCH

"So I guess you're eatin' lunch with your group, huh?"

Nori didn't answer.

"You know, Gaara, Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru?"

"Shut up."

"I mean, it isn't _that _bad. Shikamaru's like, the smartest kid on Earth and Sakura's the prettiest girl in the schoo—"

"Naruto, I'll give you two seconds to shut that black hole of a mouth before I fill it with my fist," Nori warned dangerously.

Kiba laughed. "Hey, it isn't _that _bad, is it?"

"Yes, it is," Nori said. "Have you _seen _these guys? I don't know how Kakashi managed to put the most incompatible people on Earth together in a gr—oh, hey guys!" Nori said pleasantly. The three had stopped at the table Nori's group so happened to be sitting.

"Catch ya, later, Nori," Kiba said.

"Yeah."

Nori sat down and the group at in silence. Well, almost silence.

"I'm so excited! I think Kakashi-sensei is one of the best teachers, don't you think?" Sakura asked energetically.

"No," her group replied dully.

"Oh. Well…so…" she trailed off.

After a few minutes, Sakura said, "Sasuke-kun, maybe we could do the assignment together. I mean, maybe we could go somewhere fun so it would be more enjoyable. What do you think?"

"I don't care," Sasuke said shortly.

"Oh. Uh, what about the amusement park? Or skating rink? It's nice and dark in there. Your style, right?"

"Whatever."

"Actually," Nori said, finishing off her meal, "I think Sakura's going somewhere with this."

"Nani?" Sakura said in surprise.

"Yeah. Skating rink. Tonight," Nori said, nodding. "We could do homework and have a little fun. I don't think you guys even know the meaning of the word."

"Something that provides amusement or enjoyment," Shikamaru recited. (A/N: lol Got that out of the Merriam Webster dictionary)

"Ha, ha," Nori said sarcastically. "Just be there, okay? We can make this assignment as painless as possible."

"What are you, Queen of the Universe?" Sasuke said.

"Looks like nobody wants to take that role, _Sasuke-kun_," Nori said.

Sasuke glared at her.

"Look, maybe I'll see you guys later. Maybe." She walked away.

"That is one bipolar girl," Shikamaru said, shaking his head.

"Bipolar…or just strange?" Sakura said. "It seems to me that she likes making little jokes about everything. No wonder she ended up with Naruto and Kiba as friends."

Gaara had finished his meal. He stood up and dumped his tray. Then he slowly turned to face the group. "Are you all going to the skating rink tonight?"

It took a while for everyone to answer.

"Hey, she's got some odd personalities, but I can't leave her hanging, right?" Shikamaru shrugged.

"I guess," Sasuke said.

"Me too," Sakura nodded.

"Thought so," Gaara said. He walked away.

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW! I happen to know that I've gotten about eleven times as many hits there are here than reviews and I am not pleased. Even if its a flame, I don't care. As long as I get some kind of feedback! Oh, and be sure to tell me if Nori seems like a Mary Sue.

Thank you for your time.

-TTF


	3. First Week, Kakashi's assignment done!

Whoohoo! Updating's not getting to be so hard anymore. Actually, I can't _wait _to update next time! I'm so pumped! Yeah! Ahem, anyway, I'm still waiting for the right moments for multiple pairings I might try. Also, I'm looking back on Nori's original character design and personality to see who would be compatible (or in some cases, I'll _make _them compatible). Anywho, there may be some relationships that I overlooked that I actually put in some chapters, so if there is that means that my strategy is working! Oh, and thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Master Misashi Kishimoto. What a lucky dog.

* * *

GYM

The other few classes were a breeze for mostly everyone who had half a brain. However, gym didn't really require a brain.

"GOOD AFTERNOON MY STUDENTS!" the gym teacher shouted vigorously.

He rendered most of the class half-deaf. The class was made up of seventh graders and eighth graders. Lee, Neji, and Tenten were in Nori's class.

"Okay, now I'm deaf in my right ear," Nori said, rubbing her ear.

"You get used to it," Tenten whispered.

"GOOD AFTERNOON GAI-SENSEI!" Lee shouted back, his hand to his forehead like a navy seal.

"There goes my left ear."

Gai sighed grandly. "If only all of you worthless weaklings could be like that youthful, handsome, young man right over there!" Gai said, pointing to Lee. "Then maybe I would have a reason to strive as a better teacher!"

"He doesn't hesitate to show favoritism," Neji muttered, annoyed. "Let's just get on with this class!"

Gai stared at Neji for a second. "All right! The name of the game is Dodgeball! The last man—er, or woman—standing doesn't have to do a hundred laps around the school!" He heaved a bucket of red rubber balls and threw them onto the basketball courts. "GO NOW!"

The students scattered. Nobody wanted to do _that_. But no matter how hard all the students tried, they couldn't really compare to Neji or Lee. The two were the only ones left. Then with a swift throw, Neji hit Lee squarely on the backside.

"NO!" Lee shouted dramatically as he unnecessarily hit the ground.

"Lee, get up," Neji said, towering over him. "I didn't throw that hard."

"You just can't compare to him, can you, Lee?" Tenten said, shaking her head and looking down at him.

Lee sighed. He put a hand to his chest. "I vow to work even harder to be able to claim victory over my one true rival!"

"Whatever, Lee."

"Passionate, isn't he?"

"About everything," Tenten said, rolling her eyes. "Why can't he just get that he won't be able to defeat Neji?"

"Actually, I think it's kind of amusing," Nori smiled. "He's like a kid."

"He _is _a kid. At heart and age," Tenten remarked.

"KEEP RUNNING!"

"HAI GAI-SENSEI!"

The girls sweat dropped.

Neji was just sitting against the wall looking superior and doing nothing. He was obviously enjoying everyone's misery on the inside.

"Sometimes I kind of wish that Lee would beat Neji, though," Tenten confessed. "Lee's been running laps all the time, even _without _it as a punishment."

"I can tell," Nori said. She glanced at Neji as they passed. "He looks so pompous."

"He is. But he has a reason."

"True."

Lee finished a long time before everyone, gasping and panting, finished.

"All right, go on home!" Gai shouted. He struck a pose and his teeth sparkled. "And remember, don't smoke crack and brush at least two times a day!"

"You are so wise!" Lee said passionately.

The class sweat dropped.

SKATING RINK…

Nori sat at a table with her school bag seated on a chair with bundles of wonderful glorious homework. Without the wonderfulness or gloriousness that is. She never brought home a perfect report card, but her parents never really cared too much. Of course they wanted her to do great in school, but they always knew that she tried her best. They somehow always knew. Maybe she's be able to get all A's this year. For them.

_**Flashback **_

"**_Let's see that report card, Nori," mother said._**

"_**What report card?"**_

"_**The one you got today, dear."**_

"_**Uh…the school had a small problem. There were these electricity-eating bugs that took over the computer systems and the teachers couldn't print out the report card," I said innocently.**_

_**Her mother and father smiled. "Are you sure?"**_

"_**Positive."**_

"_**Well, I guess we'll have to wait—" At that moment, father grabbed my backpack and pulled out my transcript. **_

_**MATH B**_

_**SCIENCE B**_

_**ENGLISH A-**_

_**SOCIAL STUDIES C**_

_**PE A**_

_**ART B+**_

"_**I'm sorry," I said sadly, my eyes starting to sting. **_

"_**You almost got all A's and B's!" mother said proudly. "I am so proud of you!"**_

"_**But you said you wanted all A's," I said.**_

"_**The important thing is that you did your best, Nori," father said. "That's all that matters. Heck, it's better than my fifth grade grades!"**_

_**I giggled. "What did you get again?"**_

"_**Straight D's for Dude, that's great!" **_

_**I laughed more. They always understood.**_

_**End Flashback**_

"Hey. Are you crying?"

Nori looked up to see Gaara standing there. "Of course not." She pretended to flip a stray strand of hair and wiped her eye. "Didn't think you'd show up."

Gaara shrugged. "Got nothing better to do."

"Right."

"Hey," Shikamaru said, coming over with Sasuke and Sakura. "Are you ready to get this group exercise thing done?"

The two nodded.

"Don't just stand there, you guys," Nori said, putting her bag on the floor. "Sit down."

Everyone sat.

"Do you guys want to do homework or—"

"Homework is a hassle," Shikamaru said, propping his head on his hand. "But I finished it."

"Me too," Sakura said.

"Yeah," Gaara said.

"Well obviously I finished," Sasuke said.

"Well thanks for telling me, _guys_," Nori said, shutting her book. "Then maybe we should just skate."

"I'm going home. This is lame," Sasuke said, getting up.

"Sit _down_, Uchiha," Nori said dangerously. "Do you _want _to flunk the assignment?"

Sasuke scowled and planted his dairy-air to the chairy-air. "Don't order me around," he mumbled.

"You guys aren't even wearing skates," Nori said, crossing her arms.

"So?" the boys said.

"_So_ you're missing the whole point of the _skating _rink," Nori said obviously.

The others decided not to anger her and rented some skates. After that they pretty much just stood there.

Nori threw her hands up in the air. "You guys are hopeless!"

"No we aren't," Shikamaru said.

"Why do you even bother anyway?" Sasuke asked coolly. "Why don't we just make something up and get on with our lives?"

"Because that's _cheating_," Nori said. Then she thought for a bit and put her finger to her chin. "Although…"

"No, you're right," Sakura sighed. "We can't cheat. Can we?"

"Of course not," Nori said, shaking her head. "We can't cheat."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Gaara asked. "Just say that we went to the skate park and did nothing?"

"No," Nori said. "Here's an idea." She leaned in close to the group. "Let's _skate_."

"Fine," Shikamaru sighed. "So troublesome…"

"It wouldn't kill anyone, I suppose," Gaara said. (A/N: lol OH GAARA)

Sasuke clearly didn't want to be standing there in roller skates like a fool with Sakura ready to hook her arm with his so he said, "I guess I'm coming too."

"I will too!" Sakura said immediately.

"Cool. Let's go," Nori said, grabbing the two hands that were closest which just happened to be Shikamaru's and Gaara's. She pulled them along while they tried to keep their balance.

"C'mon, you two!" Nori called back over her shoulder to Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke started skating while trying to keep up with the determined girl while Sakura followed after _him_.

They entered the rink which was full of friends and lovers holding hands. Nori let the two struggling boys loose and they fell flat on the ground.

Gaara and Shikamaru cursed, (A/N: Like I said, I'm a virgin. Sorry cursers) rubbing their backsides.

"You guys don't know how to skate, do you?" Nori said, squatting down.

"Of course I can skate," Shikamaru said, standing up and steadying his self. "I choose not to. And I'd rather skate without someone dragging me along."

Nori put on an innocent smile.

Gaara got up without a word and wobbled. He mumbled indescribably and skate-walked to the side of the rink.

"What's wrong, Gaara?" Nori asked.

Gaara stared at her.

"Okay, I know what's wrong," Nori admitted.

"I. Am. Going. Home."

"No you're not," Nori said. "You have to stay. Everyone else is!"

The two glanced at Shikamaru who was moving two miles per hour and Sasuke who was tearing up the place with Sakura behind him shouting "Sasuke-kun! Wait!"

"See, they're having fun," Nori said. "Besides, we only started."

"And we ended," Gaara said.

Nori smirked. "If you can't skate, that's fine. Sasuke skates well enough for all of us anyway. See you later, Gaara."

Gaara glared at her. "That's not going to work."

"It's too bad you can't just _learn _how to skate or something," Nori said. "I'm not all that great either."

"I'm leaving."

"All right."

Gaara headed for the exit when Nori snagged his arm and started skating as quickly as Sasuke.

"What the heck!"

Nori laughed. "Isn't this fun?" Her auburn hair flew behind her as she turned a corner.

Gaara's eyes were wide. "Stop!"

"Why?"

They passed Sakura then Sasuke. Sakura decided that this was the perfect time to try out her move on Sasuke. "Whoa!" Sakura squealed as she "tripped" forward. "Sasuke, help!"

Sasuke, because of the gentleman he was and on instinct…let her drop.

"Ow!"

"Oops."

"Sasuke-kun! Help please!"

Sasuke groaned, picked her up by the hands and started to wrench himself out of her grasp. "You can let go now."

"Sorry." She reluctantly let go.

By this time, Shikamaru had gotten to the two one-sided lovers and Gaara and Nori were making another round.

"Look out!"

"What the—"

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Argh!"

The five crumbled into a steaming pile of students. Nori and Gaara on the bottom, Shikamaru on top of them, and Sasuke and Sakura on top of _him_.

Nori cracked up. "Ha, ha! That was wicked awesome!"

"My intestines…" Shikamaru moaned.

"Okay, I've had enough fun," Gaara stated. "Now everyone _please _get off of me."

Gaara was being so polite about it so everyone removed themselves from crushing him physically.

"Well, that was surprising," Sakura said, brushing herself off.

"I'm done here," Sasuke said.

"Me too," Shikamaru said. "I skated a around the _whole _rink."

"You skated half of the rink," Nori corrected.

"Half, whole, whatever. Either one is troublesome enough," Shikamaru said. "Of course, you're welcome to trip over more people. I've had my fair share."

"Heh, isn't apologizing a hundred times enough? You seemed less temperamental when we met."

"Yeah well, I was in a good mood."

"I for one think that we've spent enough quality time to do the rest of this accursed assignment," Gaara said. With a small wave, he was out the doors.

"Er, I don't think we've had enough time," Sakura said, blushing. "Sasuke-kun, how about—"

"—I go home," Sasuke finished. "Later losers."

"I'm regarding that last comment, Uchiha," Nori said, poking him in the back. "Just get out of here."

Sasuke looked back and gave her a death glare. "Whatever."

"That guy is trouble," Shikamaru said, shaking his head. "Later." He left as well.

"I think I'd better see if Sasuke-kun's all right," Sakura said. "He took a pretty bad fall."

Nori was about to tell her that Sasuke was the one that fell _on top _of everyone, but decided against it. The Uchiha needed some "spark" in his life, and Sakura was the one to give him that "spark". Hehe. Poor guy. "All right."

Sakura ran off.

9:00 PM

Nori sat in her bed with the lamp dimly lit. Her notebook was open and she was finishing off her English homework.

_Although everyone has different personalities, I think that our day was pretty good on my part. Who knows? We may even become to like each other. _

She shut her notebook, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

7:50 AM

"Kakashi-sensei?" Nori said timidly as she opened the door to the classroom. She was with Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Gaara.

"Hm?" Kakashi said distantly as his pupil followed the lines of the pages in his dirty book.

"Is there any chance that there is…an alternate assignment for us?"

Kakashi paused and turned to the group. "Why, is there any trouble?"

"Sort of," Nori said. _You are loving this, aren't you sensei? _

"Hm. Well, actually, there _is _an alternate assignment," Kakashi said.

"Really?" Nori breathed.

"Yes. You are all aware of my favorite series, aren't you?" Kakashi asked.

Everyone stared at the book he was holding and nodded.

"Well, I want you to read two volumes and demonstrate—"

"Never mind, we're good," Nori said nervously. She pushed her group out of the classroom.

"I don't even want to know what he had in mind," Sakura shivered.

"We'll just have to cope, okay?" Nori said.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that," Shikamaru groaned. "Troublesome sensei…"

"Well, we'll cope, but it doesn't mean we have to like it," Sasuke said indifferently.

"No one said that they'd like hanging out with you," Nori snapped.

The two glared at each other.

"Oh boy," Shikamaru groaned.

"Hey Nori! Hey baka," Naruto shouted.

"What do you want?" they both said angrily.

"Uh…"

"Let's not waste our time," Gaara advised as he went back into Kakashi's classroom.

Sasuke put on his I'm-too-cool-for-you look on his face and entered as well.

"Um…" Sakura said uncertainly. "Bye!" She retreated into the classroom as well.

Shikamaru shook his head and went in too.

"Did I miss something?" Naruto asked.

"Well—"

BRING!

"Let's just go in," Nori said, opening the door.

"Okay…" Naruto said.

AFTER SCHOOL

"What fun will we have today?" Shikamaru said sarcastically.

"Well, maybe we could go—"

"I want to choose today, if it's okay with you," Sakura interrupted. "After all, you got to choose yesterday."

"Fine," Nori said, a little offended. "What do _you _want to do?"

"I thought that maybe we could go see a movie," Sakura answered.

"What's it called?"

"Lovers in Twilight," Sakura said dreamily. (A/N: That was off the top of my head.)

Everyone made a gagging sound.

"What?" Sakura said, crossing her arms.

"No offense, but that's a chick flick," Shikamaru said.

"Well! Then what do _you _want to do smarty?"

"Maybe just go to the park…watch the clouds…" Shikamaru said. "Or we could just save ourselves the trouble and watch them from here."

"Bo_ring_," Nori drawled.

"Fine then." Shikamaru looked insulted.

"Sorry, Shikamaru," Nori said. "But how about we do something more exciting?"

"Like what? Bungee jumping?" Sasuke said.

"That—"

"No," Gaara said immediately. "We aren't going to get ourselves killed (A/N: HA) over this pointless assignment. I say that we just do something simple…like go over to someone's house or something."

"Are you volunteering?" Sasuke asked.

"Well I—"

"That's good enough for us," Shikamaru said impatiently. "Let's just go to Gaara's house, have some kind of study group or something, and get on with our lives."

"Fine with me," Sasuke said.

"Me too," Sakura said.

"Okay," Nori shrugged. "If that's okay with you, Gaara."

"Whatever," Gaara sulked.

A few minutes later…

"Wait…" Sakura said, stopping. "I know this place…"

The others looked at her strangely.

"What are you talking about?" Nori asked.

"This…this is…this is Ino's neighborhood!" Sakura exclaimed.

"So…?"

"So? So! Ino is the meanest girl in school," Sakura explained.

"I thought she was the most popular…" Shikamaru said slowly.

Sakura made a face. "Only because of her looks."

"Well we aren't going over to _her_ house," Nori said, rolling her eyes. "What's the big—"

"Oh Sasuke-kun!"

"Argh!"

Ino had attacked Sasuke…again.

"Get _off_."

Ino giggled. "Oh Sasuke-kun, what are you doing in my little old neighborhood?"

"That's no of your business, Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted.

"And more _importantly_," Ino said, getting off of poor Sasuke. "What are you doing with _Forehead Girl_?"

"We're just going to Gaara's house," Nori said. "What's with you?"

"Nothing," Ino said, flipping her hair. "I was just wondering what you guys were doing. You all look pretty suspicious, you know."

"Do we now?" Shikamaru said uninterestedly.

Ino shot daggers at him. "Well, I must be going then." She flounced off. "Oh. And see you later, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke glared.

"That was close!" Sakura breathed.

"That girl is all kinds of weird," Nori remarked.

"Ino…" Sakura looked devious. A flame sprouted behind her and an evil aura enveloped her. Her clenched fists shook.

The others stared at her and backed away.

_If that scantily clad pig thinks she can steal Sasuke-kun from me she's got another thing coming! RAWR! She's gonna wish she never set eyes on my Sasuke-kun! _Sakura thought angrily punching an imaginary Ino.

"Sorry to interrupt your inner rage," Shikamaru said. "But we're due at Gaara's house."

"Right!" Sakura said brightly. "Lead the way!"

They sweat dropped.

"My house is here," Gaara said, walking up the driveway of a small quaint house. It was the color of—you guessed it—sand.

"I'm home," Gaara called.

"Duck and cover!" a male's voice shouted. "I mean, how was your day, Gaara?"

A guy taller than Gaara with purple face paint stood up from behind a couch.

"Fine," Gaara mumbled.

"Are you hungry?" A girl with blond hair pulled into four spiky ponytails walked out from the kitchen. "We can order out."

"Who're these…people?" the boy asked.

"My study group," Gaara answered.

"Oh."

Gaara started walking into the hallway.

"Gaara?"

"What?"

"Don't you want to…I don't know, introduce your uh…siblings?" Nori asked.

"No."

They stared at him as he quietly turned and walked into a room. The door creaked shut.

"Don't mind him," the girl said, laughing nervously. "He's going through some preteen faze."

The twelve-year olds nodded. "Sure…"

"So, I'm Temari, Gaara's older sister," the girl said. "And this is Kankuro."

"Hey," Kankuro said quietly. "Just don't touch anything here, got it?"

"We aren't here to wreck your house, if that's what you think," Shikamaru said matter-of-factly.

Temari muffled a giggle.

Kankuro snorted. "Whatever, kid."

"We keep getting side-tracked," Sasuke said. "Let's just go already."

_Gaara's got some kind some study group, _Temari thought.

_Stupid kids, _Kankuro thought.

The group filed into Gaara's room. It was…bare. The wallpaper was tan. He had a small bed at the side and a desk with a computer. Another door trailed into a closet. The floor was so spotless you could see your reflection in the floorboards.

"…Nice room, Gaara," Nori said.

The students got some homework done and that was it. Not much arguing arose and there was no blood. They all left quietly except for Gaara who _lived _there. Things weren't going _so _bad.

CHEMISTRY (Kurenai's class)

"How were your first two days of bonding?" Kiba joked.

"Fine," Nori said. She smiled sweetly. "What about _you_? I heard that you got Ino and Chouji in _your _group."

Kiba made a face. "Ino's annoying and Chouji complains that he's hungry every two seconds. With all the junk he eats it's a mystery how he's able to walk around."

Kiba poured a blue liquid into a beaker of clear liquid. It started changing color.

"Ugh, we had a run-in with Ino the other day," Nori said.

"She just loves spreading misery," Kiba said. "She practically killed Akamaru for coming into her room. Heck, she almost killed me and Chouji for coming into her room."

"I can picture that." Nori wrote a few notes down.

"Yeah. But luckily, we only have to spend today with our nightmares and the stupid homework is over." He put in a few drops of yellow liquid.

"Kiba no!"

"Holy—"

BOOM!

Green liquid exploded over the two. Nori lifted her goggles and glared at Kiba.

"Eh…heheh…" Kiba said nervously. "KurenaisenseiIhavetogotothebathroomI'lljusttakeapassbye!" (Eh…heheh….Kurenai-sensei I have to go to the bathroom I'll just take a pass bye!) Kiba dashed out of the room with a bathroom pass.

"Yeah, you'd better run fool!" Nori shouted, shaking her fist at Kiba. "You're in BIG trouble when you get back!"

The next day they went to see Sakura's movie, though mostly everyone was reluctant. Sakura always glanced at Sasuke and stared at his hand that was seated on the chair arm. Sasuke made sure to make a grab for popcorn whenever Sakura tried to hold his hand. Shikamaru just sat there with a bored look on his face and sipped a soda. Nori was twitching throughout the mushy parts. Gaara stared murderously at the screen.

Sakura desperately waited for a scary part. Right now, the lovers were in the twilight (WOW) and were about to lock lips when something jumped out of them. Sakura wasn't expecting that, so she squealed and grabbed onto Sasuke.

"What the heck?" Sasuke seemed paralyzed. "Sakura…let…go…"

Nori smirked. "Having fun, Sasuke?"

"Sorry!" Sakura exclaimed, letting go slowly.

"_Thank you_," Sasuke muttered.

"This is troublesome and boring," Shikamaru sighed. "I'm going to go wait outside. I'm done watching this perverted junk." He stood up only to be pushed down by some person who was really getting into the movie.

"Sit down! Some of us _want _to see the movie!"

"Well that's _fine _for you," Shikamaru said, annoyed. "But I don't want to—"

"Will someone shut those two up?"

"Sh!"

"Don't shush me!"

"Shut up!"

"Argh! No slapping!"

"What the he—"

"Freak!"

The group ducked as popcorn and candy flew around the audience.

"This was so not a good idea," Nori said.

"Gee, you think?" Gaara said. "Let's get out of here!"

"Okay!"

The group hustled out of that madhouse.

"Well, that was fun," Nori said, brushing off her clothes.

"No it wasn't."

"You started it, Shikamaru," Nori pointed out.

"It doesn't mean I enjoyed it."

"I think it was exciting!" Sakura exclaimed. She was obviously happy because she got to cling onto Sasuke for a heavenly ten seconds.

"Not me," Sasuke said.

Gaara shook his head. "That was…that was murder."

"I thought a movie theater would be a peaceful place," Shikamaru moaned. "Guess I was wrong for once."

HOME ECONOMICS (with Ebisu)

Nori was in Home Ec with Chouji and Shino. (A/N:Yeah. Shino. Weird? Beyond belief.) She had been dragging on about her desolation and woes. Surprisingly, they were very good listeners.

"Shikamaru started that?" Chouji said, dazed. "Wow."

"That is unbelievable," Shino said.

"Well, it's true," Nori said. "So what about you guys?"

"Kiba and his dog drives Ino nuts who drives me nuts which reminds me of nuts which makes me hungry," Chouji said, reaching into a bag of nuts.

"Nuts go into the brownies," Ebisu said, slapping Chouji's hand with a wooden spoon.

"Ow…closet pervert…"

An unsuspecting ant crawled across the table.

Nori was about to squish it when Shino caught her hand. "What?"

"Ants have feelings too." He let it crawl onto his finger and put it near a crack in the wall.

"Okay…" She glanced into the bowl of dark, chocolate brown cake mix and made a face. "Chouji!"

"What?"

"You left the bowl by the window! There are millions of ants in here!"

The class stared at them and made faces.

"GROSS!"

"Ew!"

"Chocolate ants?"

Shino looked as crestfallen as Shino could look. "So many lives…"

On their last day together, Shikamaru won them over with his complaining. They all went to the park to have a picnic and…laid there…watching clouds…YAWN. Nap time.

"_Shikamaru? Shikamaru? SHIKAMARU!" _

"Huh, what?" Shikamaru said, jumping up. "What?"

"Get off," Nori ordered. "Man, I'm surprised you don't sustain any injuries when you sleep!"

"Sorry."

"Forget it," Nori said, rolling onto her stomach. She took a soda, opened it, and held it high. "Here's to the last day of Kakashi's assignment!"

"Here, here," Sasuke said, holding up his drink.

They all clinked soda cans and took a drink. At the same time.

"You know, I'd hat to say it, but it wasn't _that _bad," Gaara admitted. Yes. Gaara.

The others started snorting and cracking up. Soda flew out of noses and mouths.

"Ugh! Gaara!" Nori exclaimed, laughing and pushing him playfully. "_Now _you choose to have a sense of humor?"

FRIDAY

Kakashi had taken the assignments from his students. It was the end of the day and everyone was awaiting their well-deserved weekend. "I'd like to remind all of you that a special guest speaker is coming in on Monday." Kakashi looked completely ecstatic. "So don't be late for class and dress in your best school clothes."

There were a few things wrong with Kakashi that day.

1. He showed excitement.

2. He was lecturing about not being late.

3. He was telling them to wear nice clothes.

That definitely spelled trouble.

* * *

Long chapter! Told you I was pumped.Yeah, I decided to put the rest of Kakashi's assignment in ONE CHAPTER. WOW. I need reviews to keep my streak up! Oh, and for the record, Gaara is winning!

R&R please!

-TTF


	4. Akamaru's Bath, The Guest Speaker

ARGH! I totally forgot about updating...sorry reviewers! I don't get many reviews on this (probably because they're only in middle school) but I sort of forget so...sorry! This one's really long and everyone knows that I'm not a genius in the romance section, so I'll do the best I can. Everyone likes humor though, right?

Things are really moving along slowly and I don'tplan on making this a ficwith more thanabout thirty chapters, but I've still got a whole year to go! Notgood. I'll figure out something.

Happy4th of July everyone! Let's just say I said that to the world on the 4th of July because I did! Also, happy birthday to Neji, my man on July 3rd!

Okay, enough with this nonsense. Let's get on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

AFTER SCHOOL

"Yo. What's crack-a-lackin', my home slice?"

"Naruto, do us all a favor and _don't _use slang."

"Don't dis the Naruto!"

"Whatever, man," Kiba said, shaking his head.

"I can't believe we just finished a week of school," Nori said in disbelief. "It seems like a _year_." (A/N: Or four chapters.)

"Yeah. But now we get to kick back and relax," Kiba said, throwing his arms out.

"You mean mall time?" Nori asked.

"Uh no. I was just thinking that maybe…you guys could…help me get Akamaru to take his _bath_." Kiba winced at the word 'bath'.

"No!" Nori exclaimed.

"Word!"

"Shut up!"

"Aw, come _on _guys," Kiba begged. "Akamaru hates bath day, but it's for his own good!"

"That's exactly why _you _should do it," Nori said. "Dude, that dog doesn't listen to anyone but you."

"Puh-leeeeeeeeaaase?" Even though Kiba acted cocky and manly sometimes, he was a master of the puppy dog look for obvious reasons.

"FINE."

"Yeah!" Kiba hooked his arms over his friends' shoulders and grinned widely. "You guys are the best!"

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Naruto exclaimed. "But let's grab a bowl of ramen before we go m'peeps!"

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"Ow! Not cool dawg!"

After a quick bowl of ramen, the three went to Kiba's house and got Akamaru.

"Hey boy!" Kiba exclaimed, placing Akamaru safely in the hood of his jacket. He scratched behind Akamaru's ears and turned to his friends. "Okay, let's get you your B-A-T-H."

Naruto looked confused. He spelled the letters in the air with his finger and said, "Bath?"

Akamaru's ears perked up, he jumped out of the jacket, and ran off.

"Naruto, you baka!"

"Argh! What'd you do that for?"

"Because!" Kiba exclaimed. "Aw man. Let's just get Akamaru. Akamaru! Here boy! We're giving _Naruto _one! Not you!"

"The bath?"

"Naruto!"

"Okay, okay."

Akamaru ran as if his life depended on it. He dodged Nori, ran under Naruto, and slipped behind Kiba.

"Akamaru, come on, fella," Nori said quietly. "We aren't going to do anything bad, really!"

"Yeah, a bath isn't _that _bad."

"Naruto!"

"What?"

"It'll only take five seconds," Kiba soothed.

Akamaru barked and splashed around.

"Argh!"

"All done," Kiba said proudly.

Akamaru jumped out and shook.

"Akamaru!"

"Well…that wasn't so bad," Nori said, drying herself off for the hundredth time.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Naruto said in a bored tone. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's do something fun!"

"Like what?"

"I'm kind of hungry."

"You just ate!"

"Hey, I'm a growing boy," Naruto said, patting his stomach.

"Actually…" Nori held up her hand and measured herself and then Naruto who was inches shorter than her.

"…Uh…I'm shorter than both of you, so I need to grow more!"

"R_i_ght."

MALL-FOOD COURT

"Well, it's not ramen, but it's the next best thing!" Naruto exclaimed, sticking two slices of pizza in his mouth. "Mm…"

Nori shook her head. "Were you raised by a pack of wolves or something?"

"I wish!" Naruto said, swallowing.

"Kiba, what's up?" Nori asked. "You look kind of down."

"I'm a little worried about Akamaru," Kiba sighed. "He always hates to go to the vet."

Sweat drop.

"It's okay, he's done it before," Nori said awkwardly.

"Bo_ring_!"

"Shut up, Naruto!"

"Hey, guys," Nori said, catching Kiba's fist. "It's the weekend. Come _on_."

"Yeah, fine," Kiba sulked.

"I know, let's go to the arcade. My treat," Nori said, standing up. "L—oof!"

Nori ran into someone. "Sorry sir, I—uh…"

She looked up. The man was tall and had long white hair. He looked like he was studying her. "Can I uh…help you?"

"No, no," the man said, laughing merrily.

"I'm sorry."

"No trouble at all, miss!" he said.

"Who're you?" Kiba demanded.

"What? You've never heard of me? I'm the handsome, luxurious, pleasurable Jiraiya!" He struck a pose.

_This guy reminds me…of Gai-sensei_, Nori thought.

A woman tapped Jiraiya on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but have you seen my child?"

"Why no. Would you like me to help look for your child, beautiful?" Jiraiya asked, his teeth sparkling.

"Uh, no," the woman said. "That's all right. I'll just find my _husband_."

She walked away quickly.

"Call me if you have any trouble!"

The kids stared at him blankly.

"Er, um, anyway, how are you kids?"

"…Fine…"

"What are your names?"

"Iruka-sensei told me to never talk to perverted hermits," Naruto said matter-of-factly.

"Wha—?" Jiraiya's jaw hit the ground. He got back into his I-AM-JIRAIYA pose and said, "I don't know what you're talking about! I'm respectable and friendly to every—where're you going?"

The three had walked off towards the arcade in the mall.

"Wait!"

"He's following us…" Kiba muttered.

"You shouldn't have called him that," Nori whispered to Naruto. "Now he's following us and he's going to give us a lecture."

"Well he _is _a perverted hermit," Naruto answered.

"Two boys hanging around one girl?" Jiraiya said, putting his finger to his chin. "Intriguing. That would make a good story for my next book!" Jiraiya reached into his magical pockets that appeared at that very second and started digging. Binoculars. Sketchpad. There it was! A notebook.

"What are you doing, Jiraiya-san?" Nori asked politely.

"Taking notes. I was gathering data for my famous book before I met you three," Jiraiya answered.

"Gathering data?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Now I can base my characters on your three in my book! Of course, you'll have to be a bit older…maybe about ten years older…"

They stared at him again.

"What book?" Naruto asked.

"This one!" Jiraiya whipped about his "famous" book, Icha Icha Paradise. ARGH! THE HORROR!

A flashback of Kakashi with the accursed book flashed through the children's minds.

"How uh…" Nori said, twitching. "…nice."

"THAT'S KAKASHI-SENSEI'S PERVERTED BOOK!" Naruto shouted loudly.

Heads turned.

"So you've heard of it then?"

"That stuff is _trash_," Kiba remarked in disgust. "I am _not _going to be a based character in _that_!"

"Well, that's not your choice, is it?" Jiraiya said. "Nope. Well, I'll be hanging around for a while. Don't mind me!"

They still stared at him.

"I said don't mind me!"

They started off again.

"Come on, say something!"

"You've got problems," Kiba said.

Jiraiya snorted. "So much for the direct approach…All right, I give up. I'll see you later kids!" With that, he sped off into the great beyond.

"What a weird old man."

MONDAY-GUEST SPEAKER VISITS

"Okay, kids," Kakashi said breathlessly. "I've got two things to say. One, don't embarrass me and two, be on your best behavior. Now, I'd like you to meet Jiraiya-san!"

Nori, Kiba, and Naruto gasped as Jiraiya popped into the room. "Hey kids!"

"You're the perverted hermit!" Naruto shouted.

Jiraiya turned red. "And you're that annoying little kid I met yesterday!"  
"Uh…" Kakashi stood their, confused.

"Who cares anyway," Jiraiya said. "I'm here to talk about the ways of a skilled and gifted author…"

"NO!"

"Shut _up_, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "I'm sure Jiraiya-san has an excellent explanation about books!"

"You guessed it, miss!" Jiraiya exclaimed. He whipped out his book…again.

"THAT'S KAKASHI'S PERVERTED BOOK!" mostly everyone shouted. Even Naruto.

Jiraiya and Kakashi sweat dropped.

"Eh…this might be harder than I thought."

After a long period of Jiraiya talking about his book and how many "fans" read it, the bell rang.

"Man, that was torture," Naruto complained.

"Hadn't we had enough of him over the weekend?" Nori sighed.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Kiba asked, walking over.

"Perverted hermit."

"He's here?" Kiba quickly turned back and forth, checking the hallways.

"Yeah, in Kakashi-sensei's class," Nori explained. "He's talking to us about the 'life of an author'."

"Great," Kiba mumbled. "What is _with _this guy?"

"I don't know," Nori said. "But what I do know is that he's coming this way now."

"Listen up," Jiraiya said, pointing an old finger at Naruto. "You do _not _call me a perverted hermit in public!"

"Why not?"

"Because you don't! Do you want to appear obnoxious in my book?"

"You're using our names?" Nori asked.

"Of course not! I don't know your names! By the way, what are they?"

"None, Of, and Your Business," Nori said.

"Fine," Jiraiya said defiantly. He walked off then turned. "I'll be back." Then he went off to go harass some of the female teachers.

"He scares me," Nori said.

"You're not the only one," Kiba said.

"I dunno, I think he's kind of cool," Naruto said. "In a weird sort of way."

The other two just stared at him with jaws to the ground.

"What?"

"How could you like _that _guy?" Nori asked. "He's a total freak."

"Not to mention he's a perv," Kiba added.

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno."

"Whatever, Naruto."

A FEW MONTHS LATER…(A/N: Hey, I'm not about to do the whole year day-by-day, you know. Sorry to speed things up though.)

SOCIAL STUDIES

"And when the blah, blah, blah, blah…"

Nori's eyelids slid over her eyes. She shook her head and tried to pay attention. It wasn't working. Social Studies was her worst subject. Whatever Ibiki-sensei said went through her mind like wind. It was there then it went. Her eyes wandered outside the window.

Outside, a class was playing soccer. She saw Gaara, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Sakura, and Ino. It seemed that Kiba was extremely pumped up. He kicked the black and white ball towards the goal where Shino was. Shino caught it and Kiba shouted something that was unfathomable.

Nori smiled.

Gaara expertly dribbled the ball, kicked it up, and shot the ball into the goal.

_He seems almost as good as Neji_, Nori thought, her smile still glued well on her face.

Kiba had the ball in possession. He seemed pretty determined to get a goal past Shino. Gaara had come up toward him and attempted to steal the ball. Kiba had already reeled back to smash the ball, but so did Gaara. They missed.

"Kiba! Gaara!" Nori shouted impulsively.

WHAM!

"Miss Hiroshi!" Ibiki was standing in front of her desk, his hand slammed on. He didn't even flinch from the pain that should've shot through his arm.

Nori muffled a shriek. "Eep! Er, yes, sensei?"

"Is there something you would like to tell the class?"

"No sir," Nori said.

"And will you daydream anymore?"

"No sir."

"Good. The next time I see you daydreaming or shouting in my class will be a level five detention with me! Would you like that?"

"No sir."

"Then I suggest you pay attention."

"Hai."

Nori anxiously waited for the class to end. She was the first one out the door.

She passed Naruto.

"Nori?"

"Can't talk!"

"No running in the halls, young lady!"

"Sorry, sensei!"

Nori fast-walked through the door to the nurse's office. She walked up to the nurse who was at her desk.

"Yes?" the nurse said pleasantly. "Do you have an injury? Or did you need some—"

"No, no," Nori said. "I was just wondering…two of my friends were injured in the last class. One has brown hair with red paint on his face and one has red hair with a love kanji on his forehead. Did they come here?"

"Hm…yes, those two came. They injuries weren't too bad, dear. Of course, that's what happens in gym class," the nurse said sweetly. "Would you like to see them? You have all lunch period."

"Hai."

"They're in that room."

Nori walked into the afore mentioned room. Gaara and Kiba were lying on clean, white beds. Their right legs were bandaged. Were they asleep?

"I'm just sayin' if you let me take that shot, we wouldn't _be _here."

"Shut up. Leave me alone."

No, they were awake.

"Hey guys…"

Kiba lifted his head. "Nori? What're you doin' in here?"

"I saw you guys take that fall. Are you okay?"

"Just a little bleeding. Nothing to worry about," Kiba said, waving it away.

Gaara didn't say anything.

"What about you, Gaara?"  
"I'm fine."

"Oh. Well, that's good. Do you guys get lunch?" Nori asked.

"I hope so," Kiba said. "I'm hungry."

"Kids, I just got a call," the nurse called, getting up. "It's a family emergency. Will you be all right by yourself? Principal Tsunade will be coming over in about an hour."

"An hour?" Nori exclaimed, confused. "Why so long?"

"She's got a whole line of kids to discipline," the nurse said. "Something about vandalism over the school, the starting of food fights, everything."

"Naruto…"

"Well, I'll best be off now. Bye!"

"Wait—oh…" Nori groaned. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Hey, it's not like anyone's going to get injured," Kiba said. "It's only me and Evil Eyes."

Gaara made a defiant sound.

"Hey come on," Nori said. "He didn't do anything to you."

"Except split my skin," Kiba said.

"Don't overreact. The nurse said it wasn't—"

"Nurse? Nurse?"

Nori peeked out the door of the room. "Uh…can I help you?"

Sakura was in the office, looking around. She stared at Nori. "Nori? What're you doing here?"

"The uh, nurse is out for the moment…so…"

"Are you filling in then?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Oh. Well, I've got a cut on my arm from gym…" Sakura _did _have a gash on her leg. It wasn't too big, but if it kept bleeding, there would be trouble.

"Okay…" Nori said uncertainly. She started opening cabinets and peering inside, looking for the right materials for Sakura's wound.

"The nurse keeps that medical stuff in the left bottom cabinet," Kiba said.

"Oh." She opened the said cabinet and found some band-aids, medicine, ointments, etc.

After cleaning Sakura's leg, spreading some ointment on, and sticking on a happy-face band-aid, Nori went to sit with Kiba and Gaara again.

"I don't think I can do this," Nori said. "What if someone comes in with head trauma or something?"

"No one will—" Kiba was interrupted by a growl. He and Nori looked at Gaara.

"I guess I'm hungry," Gaara said. No, Gaara didn't _growl_, his stomach did silly!

"Oh, um," Nori said, looking around. "Do you guys get the school's lunch or—"

"Dude, that would make us even sicker," Kiba said. "The nurse gives people a different lunch. In there."

Nori found a small fridge with Lunchables in them. "Gee, you sure know a lot about this place."

"Yeah, well, I go here a lot," Kiba said.

They ate in silence.

"Aren't you hungry?" Kiba asked after a while.

"Nah," Nori said. "I don't eat very much."

"Okay."

"Nurse? Nurse What's-Your-Name?"

Naruto poked his head in the nurse's office. He had an icepack on his head and a black eye.

"Naruto! What happened to you?"

"Oh. Uh, Sasuke challenged me to a fight and how could I refuse? So I beat him up but then he started playing dirty like the trash he is and he pushed me into a wall."

"You ran into a wall while running from Tsunade?" Kiba translated.

"Yeah."

"How stupid can you be?" Gaara muttered.

"WHAT!"

"NARUTO!"

"ACK! Tsunade-baa-chan!"

Tsunade came stomping into the infirmary.

Naruto hid behind Nori.

"Uzumaki, this is the last straw!" Tsunade said angrily. "YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE DETENTION IN THE OFFICE UNTIL NEXT SEMESTER!"

Naruto groaned.

"It serves you right, you little imp!" She looked around. "Oh, did the nurse leave already? I guess I'll have to fill in for her. Are you visiting, Nori?"

"Uh…yeah. See you guys later. Naruto, Kiba, Gaara." She slipped out of the room and sighed. That Tsunade sure could get vicious. She would hate to have Tsunade on her tail.

HOME ECONOMICS

"You look tired," Shino said.

"Hm? Oh, I always get tired for some rea—ahh," Nori yawned.

"Well, Ebisu is boring," Chouji said. "Maybe I can…"

"Chouji!"

"What? I wasn't doing anything!"

Ebisu adjusted his glasses. "Don't eat until you are done!"

Chouji mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"I'll do what you say, Ebisu-sensei."

"That's what I thought."

Nori smiled self-consciously. _Augh…it's so hot…Stupid cheap school with no curtains… _

"CHOUJI!"

"SORRY!"

"Hey, you look a bit dehydrated," Shino said quietly.

"What? Oh. Yeah," Nori said, taking a sip of her water bottle. "Nothing to worry about."

Shino shrugged.

MATH

"Man…Asuma is so boring…" Shikamaru groaned.

"Yeah…" Nori said, almost drifting off to dreamland. _Why am I always by the window. ARGH! _"Shikamaru…what time is it?" She was too lazy to look up at the clock.

"Fifteen minutes till next period, why?" Shikamaru asked.

"No reason…I just want to get out of—"

"Nori! Are you talking in my class?" Asuma shouted strictly.

"I was bugging her, sensei. It wasn't her fault," Shikamaru said uninterestedly.

"Oh. Well…try not to do it again, okay, Shikamaru?"

"Hai." Shikamaru had earned a spot as a Teacher's Pet in Asuma's heart and it was no secret. Of course, it wasn't like Shikamaru cared about being a favorite. It did, however, get its advantages.

Classes dragged on through the hot day until it was time to go home. Kiba had a dentist's appointment and his sister had to drive him from school and Naruto had detention. Nori was walking home alone.

"No! No! No! Don't take me, Nii-chan! No! I can't go! ARGH! I uh, have to go feed Akamaru!"

"I fed him before I left," Hana said, annoyed. "Let's just go to the stupid dentist to get your stupid teeth checked, okay?"

"NOOOOOOO!"

Kiba was dragged into the car.

"Bye, Nori," Hana waved with a smile.

"Later," Nori answered.

"ARGH!"

"Shut up, Kiba!"

"GRANNY TSUNADE!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Naruto's voice could be heard in the next universe. Nori sighed. Those were her two best friends. How far had she sunk?

"Konnichi wa, Nori-chan," Hinata said quietly.

"Oh, hey Hinata," Nori said, smiling faintly. "Sure is hot, huh?"

"Uh-huh," Hinata nodded. "It's a good thing these uniforms are um…breezy."

Nori laughed. "Yeah. Hey, wanna walk home with me?"

"S-Sure," Hinata nodded.

"Where do you live?" Nori asked.

"A f-few blocks away," Hinata said. "Right around the corner."

"Okay. We'll drop you off first then."

"Nori! Hinata!"

The two turned to see Tenten waving to them. "Hey!"

"Tenten! Where've you been?" Nori said, knocking fists with her.

"Nowhere really. I usually take the bus, but…well, I guess Lee kept me around showing me his act to ask Sakura out for while."

"Oh yeah? What number?"

"Eleven."

"Poor guy."

"Can I walk with you two?" Tenten asked. "I live pretty far, but it'll be better if I have some company."

"Be our guest."

The girls walked for a while. There wasn't much pleasant or unpleasant conversation between the girls. Nori struck a conversation up a few times, but Hinata always ended it unintentionally. Tenten didn't really have much to talk about either.

"Did you hear Naruto?" Nori said. "He is probably the loudest person on Earth, huh?"

"Totally," Tenten nodded.

"Oh…m-maybe," Hinata turned extra red.

"You look a little hot," Tenten said. "You okay?"

"I-I'm f-fine," Hinata stuttered.

"Okay…"

Tenten and Nori exchanged mischievous glances.

"Hey Hinata, Tenten," Nori said smiling. "I'm having a sleepover at my house tomorrow night. Wanna come?"

"Do I ever," Tenten nodded.

"I-I'll have to ask my f-father," Hinata said. "I'll call."

"Cool. Who else should I invite?" Nori said, putting a finger to her chin.

"Y-You mean you haven't invited anyone else?" Hinata asked.

"Nope," Nori said, waving the absurdity of her choice away. "Okay, so…who else do we know? Maybe I should invite the boys…"

"Hey, it's a sleepover, meaning boys can't come!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Fine, fine," Nori said. "They'd make a ruckus anyway."

"What about Sakura and Ino?"

Nori made a face and Tenten cocked her head to the side.

"Well…they seem all right…"

"Okay, Hinata," Nori shrugged. "I'll invite them I guess. But only because I don't know any other girls too well."

"You know Sakura and Ino well?"

Nori grinned sheepishly. "Meaning I know their first and last names…"

"Oh."

"H-Here's my house," Hinata said. "Bye."

"See ya."

"Later."

Hinata disappeared within the confines of her mansion.

"So…do you think Hinata will get together with Naruto soon?" Tenten asked.

"Ha, that'll take a while," Nori snorted. "The only way is for her to tell him and I don't think she's confident enough. Not only that but Naruto's a clueless idiot."

"Yeah…that's too bad," Tenten sighed.

"What, did you predict something?" Nori joked.

"The stars predict love will bloom soon," Tenten said. "Very soon."

Nori didn't have a chance to ask Tenten if she was kidding or not.

"Is that Gaara?" Tenten whispered, pointing.

Nori followed Tenten's finger. Indeed, it was Gaara. In a tree.

Tenten darted behind a bush, pulling Nori along with her.

"Why are we—?"

"Shush," Tenten shushed her. "Dude, you know Gaara's pretty much as anti-social as Shino."

"Well yeah, but—"

"Quiet!"

They peered behind the bush to see Gaara kneeling over something. A small kid was standing under the tree looking worried. He dropped it down. It was…a cat.

The kid caught the cat with a happy look on her face. "Thanks Mister!" The little girl ran off happily with the cat in her arms talking to it. "That was a bad, bad thing you did, Tabbykins!"

Gaara watched the girl leave with a blank look on his face. Then he jumped down, landed lightly on the grass, and walked away.

"Whoa…that is so weird," Tenten said once Gaara had turned the corner.

"What's so weird about it?"

"Hello? _Gaara_, actually _helping _a _little girl _with her little problem. Don't tell me you don't think that's strange. We're talking about Gaara, here."

Nori looked back at the tree, then the corner Gaara had rounded. "You shouldn't doubt people, Tenten. They aren't always what they seem."

"So you're getting into that stuff too?"  
"Hey, you're into fortune-telling and I'm just giving you a few words of advice."

"Fair enough."

* * *

BTW if anyone doesn't know, one of Tenten's hobbies are fortune-telling for some reason... 

R&R please!

-TTF


	5. Invites, Twister

OMGOMGOMG I am SO sorry! I updated and completely forgot where I was in the story! ARGH! I am so embarrassed! SO SORRY! I owe you guys one!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

And thanks to NoCareChakara for the heads up on the chapter. :)

BTW, here's a few things you'll probably need to know if you don't figure it out while you read:

_thoughts_

**_flashbacks_**

**_"conversation flashbacks"_**

_"whispering or emphasis on a word" _

Anyway, you'll figure it out. You guys are smart.

* * *

THE NEXT DAY (After school)

"So are the other girls coming?" Tenten asked.

"Yep. And some of the guys too," Nori said.

"WHAT!"

"I'm sorry," Nori said in a pleading tone. "Really! I just don't think I could stand being in the same room with Ino _and _Sakura alone!"

"But Hinata and I will be there!"

"Yes, but I don't think its enough! I'm weak…"

"Fine," Tenten sighed. "Who did you invite?"

"Naruto, Kiba…"

"Oh boy."

"Neji, Lee, Gaara, Shikamaru and Sasuke."

Tenten's jaw dropped to the ground. "You…got Neji, Gaara, Shikamaru, and _Sasuke _to come?"

"Uh yeah."

"How?"

"Well…"

**_Flashback _**

_**Neji and Lee were sparring in the school gym after school. **_

"_**Hey, Neji, Lee, want to go to my sleepover?" Nori asked.**_

_**Neji stared at her. "No."**_

"_**A girl's sleepover?" Lee said, looking confused. "At a girl's house?"**_

"_**Yeah. Ino, Hinata, Sak—"**_

"_**I will come!"**_

"_**Well I'm not."**_

"_**That's fine," Nori said.**_

"_**What's at your house?" Lee asked eagerly.**_

"_**I've got a living room, a kitchen, a wide field and a gym; we'll probably play some sports—"**_

"_**I'll be there."**_

"_**Okay, Neji."**_

_**Next Flashback**_

"_**Shikamaru, wanna go to my sleepover? Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten will be there. We'll have a lot of fun."**_

"_**Like I want to be in the same room as Ino."**_

"_**Good point. But Lee and Neji will be there too."**_

"_**How'd you get Neji to come?"**_

"_**Long story."**_

"_**No." **_

"_**Why not?"**_

"_**Because girls' sleepovers are stupid and troublesome. All you talk about it girl stuff."**_

_**Nori looked at Shikamaru in a disgusted way. "Fine if you don't want to know what we'll be talking about. It's not like you know everything in the world."**_

_**Shikamaru paused. A chance to see what girls were actually thinking? Even he couldn't skip out on that. "All right."**_

"_**Okay. See you later, Shikamaru!" **_

_**Next Flashback**_

"_**Hey Sasuke!"**_

"_**What do you want?"**_

"_**It's not what I want. It's what you want."**_

"…_**Wait, what?"**_

"_**Do you want to come to my sleepover?" **_

"_**With girls?" Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow.**_

"_**And guys."**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Don't you want to know what we'll be talking about?" Nori asked.**_

"_**I already know. You'll be saying 'Sasuke-kun is hot'," Sasuke said.**_

"_**Pft," Nori said. "You wish. Naruto's going to be there."**_

"_**So?"**_

"_**So he'll have something to brag about to you," Nori said. "And you know how annoying his bragging is. Plus, he'll beat you in something."**_

"_**And what's that?"**_

"_**He's able to go to a girls' sleepover and you aren't."**_

"…" _**Sasuke's fist clenched. "Fine, I'll come." **That loser's not gonna beat me in anything, especially something this stupid. **"Just keep those girls away from me."**_

"**_Gotcha." _**

_**Next Flashback**_

"_**Gaara, do you want to come to my sleepover?" Nori asked.**_

"_**No."**_

"_**That's exactly what Shikamaru and Neji said before they said they'd come. What would it hurt?"**_

"_**My pride. My dignity. My—" **_

"_**Okay, that's enough. But Gaara—"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Gaara—"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Let me just—"**_

"_**NO."**_

"**_Fine," Nori said. "I thought you were nicer than that."_**

"_**What gave you that idea?"**_

"_**Please, Gaara?"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Pretty please?"**_

"**_NO." _**

"_**Pretty pleeeeaase with sugar on top?" Cue the puppy eyes.**_

"_**N-No."**_

"_**I guess you don't want to," Nori said, heaving a sigh. She started walking away sadly. **_

"…_**W-Wait," Gaara said.**_

"_**Yes?" Nori said, looking over her shoulder.**_

"_**I'll…I'll come…if you keep everyone else away from me," Gaara said.**_

"_**Deal," Nori said, giving him a cute smile. "Thanks, Gaara."**_

"_**Y-Yeah…"**_

_**End Flashbacks**_

Tenten sweat dropped after looking at the flashbacks. "That is so unlikely. I can't believe it."

"Yeah, I know," Nori said, rubbing the back of her neck. "But their boys, they'd kill to get into a girls' sleepover on the inside."

Tenten nodded. "That's true."

"Besides, if Sakura and Ino are riled up with Sasuke coming, they'll pay more attention to Sasuke."

"But that'll cause a commotion."

"I'm willing to take that chance."

"Hey, wanna come early to get things ready? I've got to move a bunch of stuff."

"Okay."

SLEEPOVER 4:00 PM

The doorbell rang. DING DONG!

Nori and Tenten were moving the last of the furniture.

DING DONG!

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Nori reached for the doorknob when the door flew open and smashed her against the wall. "Ow…"

Lee pranced through the door. "Nori? Nori?"

"Back here," Nori said, closing the door.

"I'm sorry! Are you hurt?"  
"No," Nori shook her head. "It's okay."

"Is Sakura-san here yet?"

Nori shook her head.

"Oh, well, that's okay." He sat himself down on her couch and waited like a good boy.

DING DONG!

Nori opened the door to see her two best friends grinning like morons. "Hey guys. Come on in."

"I can't believe it!" Naruto exclaimed. "We're sleeping over with some girls!"

"And some guys," Nori said. "And don't get too wild, you guys are sleeping in the guest bedroom and I'm locking the girls' door."

"Oh."

"And by guys you mean…?" Kiba said.

"Shikamaru, Lee, Neji, Gaara, and…cough, Sas, cough, ke," Nori said.

"Who?" Kiba said.

"_Sasuke_," Nori whispered to Kiba.

"WHAT! Sasuke's here?" Naruto shouted.

Nori sighed.

"WHY'D YOU INVITE THAT GUY?"

"Kicks?" Nori said, shrugging.

Naruto took a handful of chips, sat on the couch next to Lee, and pouted.

The doorbell rang again. Kiba's jacket started jiggling around.

"Uh…Kiba?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you bring Akamaru?"

"Um…"

DING DONG!

"Never mind," Nori said as she opened the door. Hinata, Sakura, and Ino were there.

"Hello, Nori-chan," Hinata greeted.

"Hi Nori," Sakura and Ino said.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

"SAKURA-SAN!"

"Naruto! Lee!" Sakura exclaimed. "What…what are you guys doing here?"

"We were invited!" the two said happily.

"What?" Sakura and Ino glared at Nori. Hinata looked away while blushing furiously.

"You invited your to _guy _friends?"

"Not only them," Nori said, backing away. "Just Naruto, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji, Gaara, and _Sasuke_."

"Sasuke's gonna die!"

"Sasuke?" Sakura and Ino's faces perked up.

"I'll just wait outside for the other guests!" Sakura exclaimed.

"No way, Forehead!" Ino shouted.

"Yes way, Pig!"

The girl fought their way to the door and squeezed themselves out. At the same time.

"Maybe I should greet them…" Nori said thoughtfully. "Hey, Hinata, food's on the table in the living room. Go ahead and help yourself."

"A-Arigato," Hinata said quietly.

Nori walked out to see Sakura and Ino looking around eagerly, awaiting their Sasuke-kun.

"Hey, is that him over there?"

"No, you hag, it's Shikamaru."

"How'd I get him mixed up with Sasuke?"

"Hey Shikamaru," Nori waved. "Glad you could make it."

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. He glanced at Sakura and Ino. "Uh…?"

"They found out _Sasuke's _coming," Nori said.

"Die Sasuke!"

"Was that Naruto?"

"You are smart. Food's on the table in my living room."

"I'd rather just lie outside."

"Okay…"

Shikamaru placed himself on the grassy front yard and closed his eyes.

Nori looked at him for a while until she saw Neji and Sasuke walking up the street. That is, she saw Neji walking up the street and Sasuke being bombarded with two psychotic fan girls.

Nori ran over and helped Neji pry the girls off of the surprised Uchiha.

"Heh, sorry Sasuke," Nori said.

"Sasuke's here?" Naruto ran out of the house and put on a triumphant grin.

"What are you smiling at, moron?"

"I was here before you!"

"It's cool to be fashionably late."

"Dang it…"

"You said you'd keep them away from me," Sasuke said to Nori.

"You said what?" Ino and Sakura said.

"It was a one time thing, really," Nori said. "Promise."

Sasuke just grumbled.

"Oh, and hey Neji," Nori said, smiling.

"…Yeah…"

The group minus Nori went inside.

Gaara came over a few minutes after everyone went inside. "I just saw a bunch of people greet Sasuke. Some welcoming committee you've got there."

Nori chuckled. "Well, he's Sasuke after all. Glad you could make it."

Gaara looked down at Shikamaru. "Is he…?"

"No, he isn't dead," Nori said. "He's sleeping. I think. Shikamaru, move your head if you're asleep."

Shikamaru moved his head.

"…"

"Well! Now that everyone's here, we can get the party started!" Nori exclaimed. "C'mon, Gaara!" She grabbed his hand and was about to pull him inside when she remembered something. "Shikamaru, wake up!" She shook him.

"H-H-Hey! W-What's the b-big idea?" Shikamaru said. "Stop shaking me!"

"Sorry. We're all going inside now," Nori said.

"And you're telling me this because…?"

"Come _on_!"

She pulled both boys inside by the hands.

"Hey everyone, Gaara's here and Shikamaru's awake!"

Everyone looked up and backed away a little.

"What?" Nori looked at Gaara who was glaring at everyone. "Erm…Gaara?"

"Huh?"

"Can you turn down the glaring just a little?"

"Fine." Gaara's face was blank.

"Okay…who wants to play Twister?"

"Me! I can beat all of you!" Naruto declared.

"Yeah right. I'll play," Sasuke said.

"I want to play!" Ino and Sakura shouted.

"Okay…that's four people already," Nori said. She laid out the matt and took the spinner.

The four took off their shoes and each got onto one side of the matt.

_I'm gonna beat all these guys and Sakura will finally notice how awesome I am! Sasuke's gonna be so mad! Heh, heh, _Naruto thought.

_Sasuke-kun's definitely going to be one of the last people on this matt, so I have to be to! Naruto's a complete idiot and the most uncoordinated person on Earth, so he'll be easy to beat. But I'll have to beat Ino-pig if I want to stay with my Sasuke-kun! _Sakura thought.

_Humph, I may not be able to beat Sasuke, but I can definitely beat the Billboard Brow and idiot! This is perfect! Sasuke and I playing Twister! _Ino thought.

_Great. I was hoping to humiliate Naruto alone, but now the fan girls have to get into the picture, _Sasuke thought. _How annoying. _

"Guys? Are you gonna just stand there or put your right hand on yellow?" Nori said.

"OH RIGHT!" the players said, placing their right hands on yellow.

"Okay, left foot red," Nori said.

The players obeyed.

_Just say right foot green and I'll get a good view of Sasuke! _Ino thought evilly.

_I will win! _Sakura thought.

_Uh-oh, _Naruto thought.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea to play with Ino and Sakura… _Sasuke thought.

"Right foot green."

The game didn't work out too well for anyone. It didn't work out for Naruto because Sasuke won the game and he fell flat on his tush once Nori said, "Right foot green." Too bad for Sakura and Ino because when Naruto fell, he brought both girls down with him. Sasuke wasn't happy because his victory was pretty empty and stupid considering the game only lasted about one and a half minutes.

"Uh…ha, I won…" Sasuke said awkwardly.

"Naruto!" Ino and Sakura screamed as they pummeled Naruto into the ground.

Everyone else just stare at them.

"Well hat was pointless," Neji said.

"…Anyone else up for another game?" Nori asked.

* * *

Again, I am SO sorry. R&R please! Oh, and if you have the time to read little short humorous one-shots, you can go to my profile and read mine! Lates everyone!

-TTF


	6. Truth or Dare, Night on the Balcony

Ahaha! I kept my promise! Surprisingly...erm, ahem. Well, its a little late in the day, but I updated on Wednesday like I said! And from now on, if you want to check up on updates, just go to my profile. That's where I'll say when my updates will be. I'm getting a lot more reviews now, and that's probably why I found the strength to update! Yay! Now let's get on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

I SAID let's get ON with the STORY! Stupid disclaimer...

* * *

"Did you rent a movie?" Kiba asked Nori. 

"Yep," Nori said, taking out a DVD. "_The Night of the Werewolves Part II: Fangs of Death_."

The girls minus Tenten cringed at the title.

"I uh, haven't seen Part 1," Hinata said.

"That's okay, nothing really happens in Part 1," Nori said, sticking the DVD in the DVD player and turning to Video. She turned off the lights and jumped on the couch between Naruto and Kiba. "Let the movie begin!"

THIRTY MINUTES LATER…

"Sakura, Ino, if you're gonna jump on Sasuke every two seconds, let's just not watch a movie," Nori said, annoyed as she paused the video.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura said.

"Let go," Sasuke growled.

"Sorry Sasuke," Ino and Sakura said in unison.

"Forget the movie! Let's play a game!" Naruto said, bored.

"Game?" Nori said.

"Yeah, yeah! Like Truth or Dare!"

"Good idea!" Ino said. "Everyone, sit in a circle!"

Everyone stared at her.

"NOW!"

Two seconds passed and they were in a circle.

"Okay, who wants to start?" Ino said.

"N-Nori should b-because it's her party, r-right?"

"Uh, no thanks," Nori said. "I don't really play Truth or Dare."

"You have to go first!" Ino exclaimed. "That's the rules for a sleepover!"

"Okay…"

"Lee, truth or dare?" Nori said.

"I choose dare!" Lee declared.

"Okay…I dare you to…call Gai up and say that he's not youthful."

"GASP."

"Come on, Lee, do it."

"I…I cannot."

"Yes you can," Nori said gently. She picked up her phone and put it in his hand. "Dial his number…"

"I uh, do not know it."

"Yeah you do," Neji said.

"Thanks a lot," Lee said. He sighed and dialed the number.

"Greetings! This is Maito Gai speaking! Who is this?"

"Youarenotyouthful," Lee said and hung up.

"Did he even understand you?" Shikamaru said.

"I hope not…" Lee said. "Neji, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"…Really?" Lee said.

"It's less troublesome."

"That's my line," Shikamaru sighed.

"Well it's the truth. Just ask me a question already."

"Okay…do you think—"

"No."

"But I didn't finish!"

"You were going to ask if I think you could ever surpass me, right?"

"No."

"Oh. All right then. Keep going then."

"Do you think…Gai-sensei understood me?"

Everyone stared at Lee.

"That's not a Truth or Dare question," Tenten said.

"No, I don't think he did," Neji said, ignoring Tenten's comment.

"Oh good!" Lee said, feeling happy now.

"Shikamaru, truth or dare?" Neji said.

"Dare," Shikamaru said.

Another silence passed.

"Shikamaru…?" Nori said.

"Don't ask please," Shikamaru said. "What's the dare, Neji?"

"Uh…" Neji thought for a moment. "I dare you to join the soccer team and go for a week without saying 'troublesome' or anything related to it."

"Can you do two in this game?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't think so…" Ino said.

"Pick one then," Shikamaru said.

"Go for a week without saying 'troublesome' or anything related to it then," Neji said. "You'll probably mess up the team anyway…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your turn, Shikamaru," Ino said.

"Ino, truth or dare?" Shikamaru said.

"Mm…dare," Ino said. "I'm feeling brave tonight."

"All right then," Shikamaru said, a small smirk creeping onto his face. "…I dare you to call up Chouji and tell him you've been secretly in love with him."

"I'm not feeling _that _brave…" Ino said quietly. "What kind of dare is that?"

"Isn't that the point of the game? To humiliate people? Oh, and say it slowly," Shikamaru said.

Ino sighed and took the phone. She silently dialed the number and put it up to her ear.

"**Hello?"**

"Hi Chouji. I called to say that I've been secretly in love with you." Then she hung up.

Chouji stared at his phone. "Ino?"

"Now that you've thoroughly humiliated me, are you happy now, Shikamaru?" Ino said, ready to blow a gasket. She turned her attention towards Sasuke. "Sasuke, truth or dare?" Ino asked.

Sasuke pondered her question. Ino would most likely make him kiss her or something stupid if he said dare. "Truth."

"Oh," Ino said disappointedly. "Um…do you…secretly love anyone?"

"Do I really have to answer that?" Sasuke said.

"Yes," Ino said, her eyes lighting up. _Please say Ino, say Ino, say Ino!_

"Obviously no one."

"Oh." _He must be lying, but it isn't my place to call Sasuke a liar…_

"That's lame that you picked truth!" Naruto shouted.

"Shut up," Sasuke said. "Truth or dare, stupid?"

"Dare—hey!"

"Okay…I dare you to…cook us all ramen for dinner after your turn."

"That's easy," Naruto said.

"Everyone will get to eat except you. You'll have to eat salad."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me."

Waterfalls fell from Naruto's wide eyes. "NO!"

"Yes."

"NOOOOOOOO!"

"Yes."

"N-"

"Zip it," Nori said, putting her hand over his mouth. "But it looks like I don't have to cook tonight."

Naruto quietly cried in a corner for a while then came back. "Hey Sakura-chan, truth or dare?"

_If I choose dare, then Naruto will probably make me kiss him or something stupid like that, _Sakura thought. "Truth."

"Oh…" Naruto said, disappointed. "Uh…what color is your underwear?"

Sakura stared at him in horror.

SLAP!

"Ow!"

"Hey, its truth or dare, Sakura," Ino laughed. "You have to answer."

"It's just white, you sicko," Sakura said angrily. "And don't ask a stupid question like that! Hmph!" She turned to Hinata. "Hinata, truth or dare?"

"Erm…um…truth?"

"Who is your secret crush?"

Hinata turned red. "S-secret c-crush?"

"Bleah, girl stuff," Naruto mumbled. "I'll go make…sniff…the ramen…" He walked away.

Hinata squeaked. "Er, um, um…." She started playing with her fingers and had a sudden interest in the carpet pattern.

"C'mon, answer, Hinata," Tenten said. "So we can get on with this."

"Pathetic…" Neji said.

"This is troub--er, what Neji said. Why ask a useless question like that?"

"Shut up, Shikamaru!" Ino exclaimed. "Hina—"

"Ramen's done!" Naruto shouted.

Hinata breathed.

"Come to think of it, I'm kind of hungry," Nori said. "Wanna eat, everybody?"

"Truth or Dare is a stupid game anyway," Sasuke said. "Let's eat."

"Good call," Shikamaru nodded.

Naruto set the ramen out for everyone and went back into the kitchen to find some salad. He cursed Sasuke under his breath. "Here you go your majesty."

Sasuke smirked.

After dinner, the boys separated from the girls to go to sleep.

THE GIRLS

"Too bad we didn't get to finish the game," Sakura said. "Want to finish it now?"

"Nah," Nori said. "Shikamaru and Sasuke are kind of right. It's sort of a mean game anyway."

"So why invite the boys again?" Tenten asked. "There were plenty of other girls in our class, right?"

"Yeah, but what fun is a party without guys around?" Nori said.

"But why invite Gaara?" Sakura asked. "He's weird…and creepy."

"…I guess…I felt like he wasn't what he led people to think he was," Nori said. "If that makes sense."

"Are you going for 'don't judge a book by its cover'?" Ino said. "Because Sakura doesn't know anything about that."

"What are you talking about, Ino-pig?" Sakura demanded.

"Oh nothing."

"Look who's talking, Ino," Tenten said.

"What?"

"You and Sakura fight over Sasuke all the time but he's obviously not interested. And he's sort of a jerk anyway. Plus Sakura, you don't even give Lee a chance."

"But he's so_ weird_! Besides, you hang out with that Neji guy too!"

"Hey, he's the soccer team's best player and I want to get into that team!" Tenten exclaimed. "The only way to get good is to hang around him and practice!"

"I guess we're not as non-shallow as we think we are, huh?" Nori laughed. "Well, except for _you_, Hinata."

Hinata didn't say a word.

"Hey Sakura, if you could pick any boy to kiss, I mean _besides _Sasuke, who would you choose?" Ino asked.

"Why ask that?"

"You know, just in case you guys _don't _get married," Ino said, rolling her eyes.

"Well…" Sakura said, thinking hard. "I don't think I could kiss any other boy. Which doesn't matter because sooner or later Sasuke will come around."

"That's lame. What about you, Tenten? I'll give you two choices: Lee or Neji?"

Tenten stared at her. "Those are my choices?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'd uh…have to say…Neji."  
"Aha! So you're pretty shallow, huh?"

"Of course not," Tenten said. "Which one would you have chosen? That's like picking between Shikamaru and Chouji. It's a no-brainer."

All the girls agreed.

"Well, its sort of late. Lights out everybody," Nori said. "I'd better check up on the boys. 'Night, everybody."

"Good night."

"'Night."

"G'night."

Nori knocked on the boys' door, then opened it. She winced.

The boys were pretty much piled up and scrawled across the room. Naruto was sleeping against the wall, Kiba was curled up in a dogs' sleeping position with Akamaru, Lee was lying flat on his back with his arms and legs spread out, Shikamaru was sleeping soundly with his hands behind his head, Sasuke was snoring on a couch, and Neji was sleeping normally on his back. _Sasuke snores, huh? _Nori thought. _Oh wait…someone's missing. Gaara? _

She walked around the house and saw a figure up on the balcony. The full moon reflected its light, outlining the figure of Gaara. Quietly, she opened the door and walked over next to him. "Couldn't sleep, huh?"

Gaara turned to her. "No. You don't mind, do you?"

She shook her head. "I usually come out here too. You'd better put some insect repellent on." She took out a bottle of insect repellent from a corner of the balcony. "I've kept this here ever since I fell asleep and got covered in mosquito bites." She smiled, spraying some on her as well.

"Why do you live in such a large and luxurious house?" Gaara asked after a while.

"Well…" Nori started. "My parents…were pretty rich. They had great jobs and saved a lot of money. Then there was an accident…" She stared down at the balcony's stone railing. "My parents were caught between a robbing. The criminal was in a car…and crashed. Then…they died. And they left everything to me. Nobody else would take me, so I had to live alone."

"I…I'm sorry that I asked. I shouldn't have," Gaara said.

Nori looked up at the stars and smiled. "No, it's okay. I'm over it. I shouldn't cling to the past anyway."

"I have no mother," Gaara said. "And my father is the one who killed her. My only real relatives are Temari and Kankuro. But they don't talk to me. They're really only my half brother and half sister, though. They fear me."

"Why is that?" Nori asked.

"They find me scary, and I don't blame them," Gaara said. "My heart turned black ever since my mother died."

"I understand," Nori said. "But…you still have Kankuro and Temari. And even if they find you…intimidating, they're still your family, right? And…I feel sad…that you've closed…your heart."

Gaara listened to her closely. He stared at the sky as she did.

"You should…open it. I have no real family either…but that doesn't stop me from making friends. And it really brightens my day. I feel happy." She chuckled. "Especially if I make friends with someone in need of friendship."

Gaara nodded. "You're trying to say something, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I need friendship. Will you help?" Nori said, turning toward him.

"…" Gaara stared at her. "Why me?"

"Because…we both need it."

Gaara nodded and smiled a little. "Yeah."

THE NEXT MORNING

Tenten yawned. She looked around. The clock said six o'clock. It was still early. "Mm…better get dressed…" She walked past the boys' room and the balcony. Then walked backwards and got back to the balcony. She smiled.

Nori and Gaara had fallen asleep on the balcony together. Nori's head rested on Gaara's shoulder and his right hand was around her shoulder. They looked peaceful, and Tenten wished she could take a picture just so she could stare at the serene scene whenever she felt angry.

She sighed and cracked a small smile. "My predictions always come true."

* * *

Eh heheh, I sort of suck at fluff, I know. But still...I did my best.lol I actually _did _fall asleep onmy balcony once...never again.R&R PLEASE! 

-TTF


	7. IMing, Job Day Teams

Okay, so I'm one day late...I swear, working in parents' restaurants KILLS all chances of updating in time...but I'm not THAT late, so please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

GYM 

Sadly, Gai-sensei was forcing everyone to run laps around the school again…one hundred, to be precise.

"One _hundred_?" Nori exclaimed. "You have _got _to be kidding, Gai-sensei!"

"Yes, well, the period will end before half of you get to two hundred laps, so you'll just have to tolerate the minimum number, Miss Hiroshi. Now run, my students! Use the power…of YOUTH!" He punched the air enthusiastically.

"Yes sir!" Lee shouted as he started to jog.

"If he wasn't a teacher, I'd do something drastic," Neji muttered.

"Hey, just be thankful this is the short period," Tenten whispered. She turned to Nori and put on a sly smile. "So, have fun that night at the sleep over, hm?"

"What are you talking about?" Nori said, looking away.

"Nothing really," Tenten said. "But that balcony is really nice, isn't it?"

"You didn't—"

"I saw," Tenten chuckled. "But I didn't tell anyone, don't get a heart attack."

"Look, I just say him outside last night and went outside to see what he was doing, that's all! You would do the same," Nori argued.

"And then you fell asleep under the stars," Tenten said in a fake-dreamy voice. "So romantic." She laughed.

"We were obviously too tired and it was cooler outside. We just got drowsy and fell asleep, is all!"

"In each other's arms."

"Just shut up, Tenten."

"Don't have to be snappy about it," Tenten said, shaking her head.

"Honestly, I'd expect this stuff from Sakura or Ino," Nori said. "Not from you."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop."

LUNCH

"Yo, dude."

"Hey guys," Nori greeted her two best friends in the whole wide world.

"Not bad for a first sleep over, huh?" Kiba remarked. "And I don't think a girl's _ever _invited boys to her sleep over in the history of this school!"

"Yeah, that's one for the Memory Journal!" Naruto exclaimed, whipping out a dark-blue composition book.

"Memory journal?" Nori asked.

"Oh yeah," Kiba said. "It's a thing Naruto started in first grade. This year he told me. A Memory Journal."

"And you didn't tell me because…?"

"We thought you would think it was stupid," Kiba admitted.

Nori laughed. "Yeah right. What've you written so far?"

"Just the first day and when we met Jiraiya…" Naruto said. "And now the sleepover!"

Nori peered over Naruto's shoulder and sweat dropped. "Eh…I hate to tell you this, Naruto, but…your hand writing is chicken scratch."

"Huh?" Naruto looked back down. "Oh, this is Kiba's writing."

Kiba crossed his arms.

"_This _is my writing."

Nori fell over animatedly and then got back up again. "That's even worse!"

"Well excuse _us_, but can _you _do any better?" Naruto asked.

"Of course," Nori said. She started writing the date and event that had happened at her house.

"Oh," Naruto pouted.

"That settles it. From now on, _you'll _be the one writing these things down," Kiba said.

"A Memory Journal…it's a really good idea, Naruto," Nori said.

"Thanks," Naruto said.

"He got it from our Kindergarten teacher," Kiba whispered.

Naruto scoffed. "Whatever, Kiba."

HOMEROOM-END OF THE DAY

"Class, I have a special announcement," Kakashi said.

Everyone groaned.

"Yes, yes, I sound stiff, don't I?" Kakashi said. "Well, anyway, there's a school event in a few days. We will have your parents come in to talk about their work, then have everyone be picked randomly for a job. Lo and behold, Job Day. So be sure to tell your parents."

Nori stared down at her desk sadly.

"Of course, there will be a few problems with some in the class with this day, such as their parents being unable to come or you forgetting to bring them. That's okay. Students will be put together into teams of three when they are picked. Any questions? No? Good. Class dismissed."

AFTERSCHOOL-HOME 5:00 PM

Nori was on her computer in a chat room with her friends or in other words, the people who were online. Namely Sasuke, Neji, Naruto, Sakura, and Tenten.

**ninjagirl1 says: So what do you guys think about Job Day?**

**angel10 says: I dunno. Hard to say.**

**darkmystery1 says: I think its stupid.**

**cherryblossom5 says: O me 2!**

**angel10 says: Riiiiight.**

**whiteeyes3 says: Considering half of us don't HAVE parents, I'd say it's a downer. **

**whiteeyes3 says: Besides, who wants to hang out in an office or department store all day anyway?**

**ninjagirl1 says: U can say THAT again.**

**angel10 says: They're just letting the teachers get a day off, I bet.**

**darkmystery1 says: Hope the enjoy it. **

**darkmystery1 says: Not.**

**cherryblossom5 says: Sasuke-kun, do you want to go out tonight?**

**darkmystery1 says: Do I really have to answer that?**

**cherryblossom5 says: Does that mean yes?**

**darkmystery1 says: What do you think?**

**darkmystery1 says: NO. **

**ninjagirl1 says: Give it up, Sakura.**

**cherryblossom5 says: FINE.**

**cherryblossom5 says: I'm taking you OFF my Friends list!**

**ninjagirl1 says: I'm on your Friends list?**

**cherryblossom5 says: ARGH**

**cherryblossom5 has logged off**

**whiteeyes3 says: U got HER mad**

**darkmystery1 says: yeah, and thanks for that.**

**ninjagirl1 says: Drama queen.**

**angel10 says: Who needs her?**

**whiteeyes3 says: Eh, got2go. **

**whiteeyes3 says: Dinnertime. **

**darkmystery1 says: You eat dinner at five thirty?**

**whiteeyes3 says: shut up**

**whiteeyes3 has logged off. **

**ninjagirl1 says: So how do you stand those girls all the time, Sasuke?**

**darkmystery1 says: I'd rather not say.**

**angel10 says: He's got a long way to go, girl. **

**ninjagirl1 says: What do you mean?**

**darkmystery1 says: shut up.**

**angel10 says: His ttly hot brother has way more fans than him.**

**darkmystery1 says: I SAID shut UP.**

**angel10 says: What're you gonna do, pretty boy? Send my a virus?**

**darkmystery1 says: I might.**

**ninjagirl1 says: lol ttly hot brother, huh? **

**ninjagirl1 says: When do I meet him, Sasuke?**

**darkmystery1 says: never **

**darkmystery1 says: I'm done talking to two annoying girls.**

**darkmystery1 has logged off.**

**angel10 says: aw…**

**angel10 says: we made Sasuke go away**

**angel10 says: lol**

**ninjagirl1 says: what a loser…**

**angel10 says: So in denial. **

**angel10 says: But really, Itachi is like, the most popular guy in high school. **

**angel10 says: All the girls love him.**

**angel10 says: Makes me gag.**

**angel10 says: But any time you wanna annoy Sasuke, just bring him up.**

**angel10 says: Never fails.**

**ninjagirl1 says: lol I'll keep that in mind.**

**ninjagirl1 says: g2g finish homework**

**angel10 says: k later**

**ninjagirl1 says: later**

**ninjagirl1 has logged off.**

JOB DAY

The parents had come and talked and _talked _and TALKED about their jobs. There was an accountant, a firefighter, a police officer, a lawyer, an actor, a pharmacist, _anything _you can think of that I can't. Everyone in the seventh grade was in Kakashi's classroom, listening "intently" to the parents and I use the word "intently" very loosely.

"Pst. Kakashi, their done," Kurenai whispered to Kakashi, jabbing him in the stomach.

"Erk! Why'd you do that--oh?" Kakashi stared at the class. The teachers were in the back of the room. "Oh, right." He walked to the front. "Ahem, well, wasn't that interesting? Now we will put you into groups to spend the day with these hard-working adults. Won't that be fun?"

No one wanted to be impolite but Naruto. However, his "no" was drowned out with the polite "yes"es given.

"Okay. Remember your number," Kakashi said. Once he had finished counting off, he told the ones to go to one corner of the room, the twos, the threes, etc. etc.

Nori found herself in a group consisting of...Ino, Shino, and her. Wow.

"Er…" Nori looked from her left side to her right.

Shino was just standing there like Shino and Ino was…well, filing her nails and looking really annoyed because Sakura had scored a group with Sasuke _again_.

"So who are we with?" Ino said after a while.

"Hello, young not quite matured ones!"

Nori cringed. _No…_

Jiraiya stood there with a smile on his face. "Ready for a day of fun?"

Ino, Shino, and Nori sweat dropped.

"I'll take that as a yes! Now you'll find out the life of a best-selling author!"

* * *

Hm...kind of short...OH WELL! R&R Please! 

-TTF


	8. Jiraiya's Job, Fundraiser

Thanks for the reviews everyone and sorry that I'm a little late with updating! I hadfriends over, and I don't usually update when friends are here...even if they want me to update. I'm just weird like that.

Oh, and BTW if anyone has any suggestions for Nori and the gang to do anything at school, just put it in your review! I'm starting to run out of ideas...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Nori stood there with a look on her face that clearly stated she was hoping that she'd be struck by lightning at that very moment. Unfortunately, it was a clear, sunny day. Great.

"All right, now the first thing that a best-selling author does is look for material!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Er, what exactly do you write?" Ino asked.

"THIS!" He whipped out one of his books.

Ino screamed and swatted the book away. "We're gonna look for _this _material? EW!"

"I hate to agree, but can't we do something normal?" Nori said.

"That isn't perverted," Shino added.

"You children just don't understand the art of writing!" Jiraiya exclaimed angrily. "Now let's get the lead on!" He pulled out a pencil and a pad of paper. "We're going to the hot springs!"

"More like the art of peeking if you ask me," Ino whispered.

The other two nodded.

The three students followed Jiraiya to a hot spring. (A/N: I've never been to a hot spring, so I'll just have to wing it.) They stopped at the front door.

"I didn't even _know _we had a hot spring," Nori remarked.

"It's just in the back of the salon, for relaxation," Jiraiya said. "Only some people know about it, so I'm not surprised." Then he stared at Nori and Ino.

"Er…what?" Ino said.

"You two are girls," Jiraiya said, stating the obvious.

"Uh…yeah…" Nori said.

"Tell me, are you two good at drawing?"

"Don't tell me," Ino said. "You want us to go into the hot springs and sketch the people there? That's gross!"

"Well actually, I was thinking…" he looked at Shino. "Nah, never mind."

Nori didn't want to know what he was thinking.

"I'll just do it the normal way then!"

"And what normal way is that?" Shino said.

"Look, if you don't want to come, fine!" Jiraiya said as he walked off towards the wooden gate that blocked any view inside the women's spring.

"Glad he gave us that choice," Nori said, sitting down. "We'll just wait a few minutes until—"

"Yaaaaaaaaaaahh!"

Jiraiya landed in a heap in front of the three's feet.

"Well that didn't take long!" Ino said, sounding annoyed.

"The women in there are more eagle-eyed than I thought!" Jiraiya stated. "Oh well! On to the next best thing! The public pool!" He seemed completely undeterred.

JOBDAYJOBDAYBJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAY

"It's nice to see you again, Sakura! We haven't seen you since…well, since first grade! Ino hasn't talked too much about you!" Mrs. Yamanaka exclaimed.

"Uh, yeah…we haven't been in touch too much…you know, school stuff," Sakura said uncertainly. _Ino hasn't told her mom that we're rivals now? _

"Well, you know what to do!" Mrs. Yamanaka exclaimed. "Put on some aprons and get started! I have to go order some more flowers and pick up a few shelves, I'll be back in a flash!"

"Do you have any aprons that…aren't flowered?" Sasuke said as politely as Sasuke could have possibly been.

"Sorry, dear," Mrs. Yamanaka said, not looking sad. "But I never thought that a young man would come to work for me."

Sasuke sighed and tied on the frilly yellow apron with pink roses stitched on them.

"Ahahaha!" Naruto laughed. "You look so girly, Sasuke!"

"Try looking in the mirror," Sasuke growled.

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "We have customers!"

"But he—"

"SH!" Sakura hissed. She put on a sweet smile. "Welcome!"

A few girls had come in. They smiled and then saw Sasuke and Naruto. Then they laughed. A lot.

"Don't laugh at us!" Naruto ordered angrily.

"Oh," one of the girls giggled. "We aren't laughing at both of you, just you!"

"Yeah, your friend is hot, and you're not!" the other girl laughed.

"Hey, I saw him first!" her friend exclaimed.

"No, he's mine!"

The two girls suddenly grabbed Sasuke and started pulling him left and right. Sasuke just had this LOOK on his face that obviously showed he was _not _enjoying this game.

"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed. "Paws off of him, you witches! He's mine!"

_ARGH! Why does Sasuke always get the girls? _Naruto thought angrily. _Even if they're annoying? _

JOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAY

"This…is…so…boring…" Tenten sighed. She was sitting at a small desk in the public library. "Am I going to do _anything?_?

"Hey, it's better than Lee's job," Neji said, passing by with a cart of books. "Or mine," he added.

"Well _no one _ever comes here," Tenten grumbled. "I think I can take a nap before this thing's over."

Lee was in the children's section reading to a crowd of kindergarteners. "And then the little dog said…"

"I hate this story!" a little boy exclaimed. "And your hair's funny!"

"Little boy," Lee said patiently. "It isn't nice to say the word 'hate' and make fun of people's different looks."

"That's your real look?" a little girl asked. "I thought you were wearing a costume because of the reading…"

"You're ugly," another girl piped.

Steam flew out of Lee's ears. "Now listen here—"

"Uh, Lee!" Tenten exclaimed. "Let's just trade our jobs, okay? I'll read to them."

"Wait! I need to teach these children a lesson in manners!" Lee said ambitiously.

"Uh…" Tenten looked around. "Neji! Help!"

With Neji's help, the two got Lee out of the children's section with only two shushes from the librarian.

"You kids are supposed to be _helping _me, not wreaking havoc!" the librarian hissed. She was probably not a parent, but just someone who needed some extra help. Obviously she hadn't been in the children's section and never knew how evil those young ones were.

JOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAY

"Hey, hey!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "Chouji, if you're gonna work, you can't just sit there and eat the merchandise!"

"Well working at a movie theater's _hard_, Shikamaru!" Chouji whined as he chugged down another jumbo popcorn bag. Without the bag, that is.

"At least _wash _your hands before you reach in," Shikamaru sighed. "Man, this job is so troublesome. I'd rather _watch _a movie."

"Maybe we can do it when our shift's over!" Chouji exclaimed.

"I-I d-don't think so…" Hinata stuttered.

"Where _is _our manager anyway?" Shikamaru asked. "I mean, 'Job Day Guardian'?"

"Watching a movie," Chouji replied.

"Just my luck."

JOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYBJOBDAY

"Are you just gonna sit on your butt _all _day?" Kiba said, annoyed. He came out of the vet's office.

"What am _I _supposed to do?" Gaara asked bitterly. "Your sister obviously doesn't want us in the vet's office."

"And we're stuck with being her secretary!" a boy that Kiba and Gaara didn't know said. It's not like they cared.

"Not _secretary_," Kiba said. "And it's not like you guys want to go in there and treat animals like _good _people!"

Akamaru barked.

"Yeah, I know," Kiba said, rolling his eyes.

Gaara and the kid stared at Kiba.

"What?" Kiba said. "Oh yeah, I forgot you don't understand!"

"And how are you able to?" Gaara asked.

"Because!" Kiba said. And he left it at that.

JOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAYJOBDAY

"Remember to take detailed notes!" Jiraiya advised.

"Have we gotten enough material yet?" Ino said irritably.

"Yeah, this is getting a little awkward," Nori said.

"It was awkward two minutes after it started," Shino said.

The pool had acquired a very high, wooden fence that was put there for one reason. Jiraiya.

Jiraiya was standing at the bottom with Shino on his shoulders. On Shino's shoulders sat Nori and on her shoulders sat Ino with pen and pad in hand.

"I'm sick of this!" Ino exclaimed angrily.

"SH! Don't let them hear you!" Jiraiya hissed.

"Hey, what's that little girl doing?" a voice from the other side of the anti-Jiraiya wall wondered aloud.

"Ai!" Jiraiya shouted, surprised. He fell over flat on his face on the pavement.

"AH!" Ino and Nori yelled. Shino just sort of…looked surprised and made a grunting sound. Shino doesn't really scream…

However, the kids were spared. They landed on the grass field that was right outside the pool and pavement. But Ino got snagged on a tree branch.

"Ow…" Shino groaned, rubbing his head.

"Get me out of this!" Ino screamed. She dropped the pad and pencil.

Jiraiya crawled over with a bloody nose and fat lip. "Hey! These aren't very good notes, young lady!"

"ARGH!" Ino kicked her shoe off and onto Jiraiya's head.

"OW!"

"Okay, that's it!" Nori shouted. "YOU!" She pointed at Jiraiya. "Are taking us back to school and saying that we finished EARLY! GOT IT?"

"O-Okay," Jiraiya said.

"AND you'll say we deserve an A PLUS!" Ino added.

"All right! Fine!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Good," Ino and Nori said in unison and in relief.

"But let me just observe you two for a—"

"NO!"

AFTERSCHOOL

"So, how was your day?" Nori asked Kiba. Naruto still had detention for life, so the two were walking home from school together. "Anything interesting happen on Job Day?"  
"If you call sitting around my sister's office unable to help with your boyfriend and some random kid interesting, I guess," Kiba said easily.

"Boyfriend?" Nori demanded. "What boyfriend?"

"Did I say boyfriend? I meant…Gaara, your friend," Kiba said hastily.

_Tenten…did she…? No. She wouldn't do that, _Nori thought. "What makes you boyfriend?"

"I dunno," Kiba shrugged. "You guys seem pretty close, as far as I can see."

Nori chose to ignore his comment for the most part. She had never shone any real emotional reactions to anything in her life besides towards her parents and she couldn't remember the last time she blushed. Could Gaara…? No. What would Kiba know anyway? He's…Kiba.

"So it was a complete snorefest," she said finally.

"Yeah. And yours?"

"I'd really rather not talk about it."

A FEW MONTHS LATER…

"Class, we're going to partake in a school fundraiser," Kakashi announced. "Tomorrow, I suggest you don't dress too fancily. We're going to have a car wash so the band can get better and more instruments."

"Like we care what a bunch of band geeks get…" Naruto muttered.

"So dress in shorts and T-shirts," Kakashi said. "That will be all."

FUNDRAISER

"Do you think this is really necessary?" Sakura said distastefully looking at the cars that they had to wash.

The girls had separated from the boys instinctively for a while to wait for cars. They were filthy. It was as if the people had made them dirty especially for them.

"I mean…my hair doesn't go good with dirt…"

"Neither does anyone else's, Forehead Girl," Ino snorted. "But you don't see _us _complaining."

"Well, it isn't as bad as last year," Tenten remarked.

"Hey, this'll be fun, right?" Nori said. "Besides, if we earn some extra cash, we'll probably be able to get some other things other than instruments."

"Every year the boys always find a way to get on the girls' nerves, so look out," Tenten said.

"Hey, what's the worst that they can do anyway?" Ino said.

"Yeah, Ino's right," Nori said. "They're just _boys_."

"HEY! Look over here!"

"Huh?"

"No—don't look!" Tenten warned.

SPLASH!

The boys had sprayed the girls with the giant hose they conveniently had to use. The girls were dripping wet from head to toe.

"Now my hair is messed up and it's going to get all stringy and gross!" Ino complained.

Sakura screamed. "NARUTO!"

"Ahahaha!" Naruto laughed. He was one of the ones holding the hose closer to the front.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered, sad that Naruto would do such a thing.

"Oh Sakura! I am so sorry!" Lee wept. "But…it was sort of comical…"

"Lee!" Tenten exclaimed as she took the ties out of her hair and attempted to get the long strands dry. "That wasn't funny!"

"Yes it was," Neji said, smirking.

"Are you joking?" Kiba snickered. "It was hilarious! Look at them!"

"Told ya it would be awesome," Naruto said, jabbing Sasuke. He, along with Neji and Gaara made no reaction but a small crack of a smile.

"They're gonna pay for that," Nori muttered. She looked back at the other girls' reactions. Most of them were hurrying to get their hair perfect again but the tougher ones were steaming mad. The boys were going to be in for a war of a lifetime. Heads will roll.

* * *

There we go! I'll try to get another quick update, but I need lots of reviews to keep me happy. R&R please! 


	9. Car Wash Part 1

I had to rewrite this chapter because SOMEONE deleted my story on Microsoft! I was SO ANGRY! But now I'm cool now. Icy chill. Yep. Except about the fact that I only got a few reviews...that made me sort of sad...but it's all right. At least I'm managing to update, right? Yeah... Anyway, to the people who DO review me, thanks SO much! Much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"We need to get them back," Sakura said angrily. "Those guys really messed up my hair!"

"Not to mention their idiotic jerks," Tenten said.

"Oh we'll get our revenge," Nori said darkly. "I have a plan."

"Naruto!"

Naruto's ears twitched as he heard his name being called by Sakura. He zipped over quickly. "Yes Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto, I need your boyish manliness to do something for me," Sakura said, batting her eyelashes.

"WHAT?" Lee shouted from the boys' side.

"What do you need me to do, Sakura?" he asked eagerly, ignoring Lee.

"Well…"

"Argh! Nasty!" Nori screamed from a car. "There's something moving in the trunk! It's alive!"

"Where? Where?" Naruto shouted, sticking his head in the trunk. "I don't see anything! What is it?"

"You!" Nori said, pushing him into the trunk.

"Hey!"

Tenten and Ino slammed the trunk over Naruto's bewildered self and high-fived each other.

Tenten laughed and leaned on the trunk. "Now you stay in there for two hours and think of what you and the other guys did."

A muffled voice said, "Why do _I _have to pay for the other guys too?"

"Hm…he's right," Nori said.

"We'll think of something. But how long do you think the boys will wait until the notice Naruto's missing?" Ino giggled.

"Hey…" Kiba said, coming over. "Did you just lock Naruto in the trunk of that car?"

"No we didn't," the girls chimed.

"Oh. Okay. So anyway, Lee wanted me to talk to you guys about manliness and—"

"Er, Sakura was just being delusional!" Ino said, patting Sakura on the back. "She knows that Naruto isn't manly."

"Okay then," Kiba said. He went back over to the boys' side.

"It's a good thing Kiba's as smart as Naruto," Nori said, chuckling a little.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted.

"Sakura!" Lee exclaimed. "Kiba said you were delusional! What has happened?"

"Fuzzy Eyebrows, help!" Naruto shouted from the trunk.

"What was that?" Lee asked.

"N-Nothing!" Sakura exclaimed. "That was nothing! I'm not delusional, now! You can go away!"

"Did you just lock Naruto in the trunk of that car?" Lee asked.

"Uh…no we didn't," Sakura tried.

"All right. Whatever you say, Sakura!" Lee exclaimed as he frolicked back to the boys' side.

"That was too close," Tenten said. "I thought for sure that Lee would be smart enough to figure out Naruto was in the trunk. Oh well."

A small crying sound came from the trunk.

"Shut up, Naruto," Sakura said, pounding on the trunk.

BOYS

"I'm pretty sure when the girls said they didn't lock Naruto in the trunk, they did," Neji said.

"Oh…" Lee said in disappointment. "I WAS TRICKED?"

"I think it's that 'whatever-girls-say-are-the-opposite-of-what-they-feel' thing," Kiba said.

"What're we gonna do?" Shino asked.

"We need to get back at them," Sasuke said, punching his hand. "They'll pay for what they did."

The other boys stared at him. "It's Naruto."

"I know that, but soon they'll think they can take us all on. First they start with Naruto, then they'll go for Kiba or something, and _then _they'll work they're way up to me!"

"What makes you so special?" Neji asked.

"I'm Sasuke," Sasuke said as if that answer would satisfy Neji. Which it totally didn't. "Any ideas?"

"I have one," Gaara said.

GIRLS

"We got Naruto, so we can get the other guys somehow," Nori said.

"Except for Sasuke, he's too good," Sakura said.

"…Right…"

"B-But what a-about the f-fundraiser?" Hinata asked timidly.

"She's right," Nori said. "And stop _doing that _Hinata! We still have to get money or else when the teachers come back they'll find out we didn't do a thing. Until I think of something, let's just stay at our posts."

It seemed that she had taken it upon herself to be the leader. It wasn't like anyone was going to argue.

"Okay!"

Ino and Sakura went back to washing a car.

"Ew…this is so gross," Sakura said.

"We're almost done," Ino said. "Argh! Did I just break a nail?"

"Face it, we aren't meant for this kind of work…" Sakura said.

"No, we are," Ino said. "We just have to…be able to clean this…without ruining our appearances. No biggie."

"Hey."

"SASUKE-KUN!" Ino and Sakura exclaimed, whirling around to face Sasuke who kind of jumped at how fast they did.

"What are you doing here Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked.

"He obviously came over to ask _me _on a date!" Sakura exclaimed. "Right?"

"No."

"Then it must be me!" Ino said.

"No."

"Then what?" the girls asked.

"Uh…" _Crap, Gaara didn't tell me what to say! _

BOYS

"He's going down," Gaara said, watching Sasuke's performance. "He needs back-up. Lee?"

"Roger!"

GIRLS

"OH SAKURA!"

"Oh no," Sakura said, knowing that she couldn't hide since Lee had already spotted her.

Lee came sliding down on his knees. He would have definitely skinned them on the pavement if he wasn't wearing jeans. "Sakura-chan! Please go out with me!"

"Lee, I already _told _you!" Sakura said as politely as she could. "We're just _friends_. Nothing more! Besides, Sasuke was about to—"

"Why?"

"I just can't go out with—"

"Why?"

"Lee, stop—"

"WHY?"

Sakura sighed. _SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!_

Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Kiba had made their way unnoticed by Sakura and Ino to the key rack where the keys hung, labeled with the car and customer's name neatly underneath the hook.

"So which one is it?" Kiba whispered to Shikamaru.

"I don't know," Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't know the customer's name and he's got a popular car. Just take all of the ones with that label."

"Okay…" Kiba took a handful of keys and they sneaked to the car that Naruto was in. He took a key and tried to open the trunk. "Nope…no…nuh-uh…"

In the trunk, Naruto was in fetal position wallowing in self-pity. "I-I've been here for more than two hours, I just know it! What if they girls forgot about me? I'll…never…be able…to…eat…RAMEN EVER AGAIN!"

"Shut up!" came Kiba's hissing voice.

"Kiba? Kiba, is that you?"

"And me," Shikamaru said. "Stop being so loud. We don't want the girls to hear."

"Are you helping me out?" Naruto asked.

"Of course, what does it look like?" Kiba said, annoyed.

"It looks like your _trying _to and failing," Naruto said.

"You know, we could just leave you here," Shikamaru said.

"…I'll be quiet now…"

"Gotcha!" Kiba exclaimed. The trunk popped open and Naruto saw the light.

"YEAH!" Naruto shouted, grabbing Shikamaru and Kiba. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!"

"Shut up!" Kiba and Shikamaru said, gasping for breath.

"Heh…sorry," Naruto said, letting go.

"Okay, phase one, complete," Shikamaru said. "Phase two…"

"Well, it's been…nice…talking to you," Sasuke said, wincing.

"Come to see me again any time, Sasuke!" Ino said, giggling.

"Until we meet again, Sakura!"

"Whatever, Lee."

The boys left.

"Sakura, Ino," Hinata said softly. She pointed behind them. "Y-Your car…"

The girls turned their attention to their car and squeaked. "W-What? What is this?"

The car that was half-way clean was now covered in mud, sludge, leaves, gravel…soda…and flyers that read: BOYS RULE!

"I suppose you didn't clean my car…" said the customer of the car who shall not be named at this moment.

"Uh…" Sakura and Ino said.

"Looks like you girls didn't do such a great job, huh?" Kiba said as he, Shikamaru and Naruto walked over.

"We'll gladlyclean this car for you in half the time, Mr. Akimichi," Shikamaru said. "You guys…" Sakura said angrily.

"_And _we have candy!" Naruto added.

Everyone stared at Naruto.

"Just trying to win him over…" Naruto mumbled.

"CANDY!" the customer who was Chouji's dad exclaimed. "Sure!" He ran over to the boys' side on his quest for candy.

"You did that on purpose!" Ino shouted.

"Hey, we got you back for taking Naruto hostage," Kiba said.

"Though I don't know _how _a bunch of girls got to Naruto," Shikamaru sighed.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted.

"You guys are so…ARGH!" Sakura exclaimed.

"See you later, ladies," Kiba laughed as he and the boys left the girls' side.

"What the heck?" Nori exclaimed as she walked over. "What happened? How could you let this happen?"

"Looks like the boys happened," Tenten said, peeling off a flyer that was stuck with mud and wincing. "'Boys rule'?"

"They most certainly do not!" Nori exclaimed, grabbing the flyer from Tenten and crumpling it up. "We need to come up with something much worse than this!"

"But what?" Sakura asked.

Suddenly, a huge monster truck with flames painted on the sides holding a matching huge man came rumbling into the parking lot and into the boys' side.

The girls exchanged devious glances. "Perfect." Sakura and Ino left to the Chemistry Lab, Nori retrieved a bucket, and Tenten got the hose ready.

BOYS

The boys all looked up timidly at the big man who peered down at them. He was buff and had many noticeable tattoos of skulls. All except one that was a heart with the word MOM written respectively. Not to mention he looked like an Arnold Schwarzenegger replica.

"Listen up, pretty boys," the man said, getting out of his truck in all his leather and boots glory. "Clean up my baby and whatever you do, _don't _ruin my paint job, got it man? If you do, we'll you're gonna pay, man."

"Yes sir," the boys said in unison.

"Good," the man said, leaving the parking lot and walking across the street to a convenient deli.

"Okay, don't screw this up," Sasuke said to everyone. "Naruto, we're a bucket short. Go get one."

"_FINE _Sasuke!" Naruto pouted. "But that doesn't mean that you're the boss or anything!"

He walked over to the buckets that had mysteriously disappeared…except for…ONE. It was already filled with soapy what with bubbles decorating the surface. He shrugged and took the bucket.

"Here you go, you're _majesty_!"

All the boys reached in with sponges and started to clean the truck. A few minutes later, it was covered in bubbles. Sasuke took the hose and started hosing the truck off while the other boys washed their hands under a faucet.

"Hey…" Shino said, looking at his now pink hands. "What…?"

"What the heck!" came Kiba's and Sasuke's voices from the car.

The boys rushed over and gaped at the car. "Uh oh…" The car that used to be a manly crimson was now sparkly pink and girly.

"Hey guys," came Nori's voice.

The girls had come over to gaze lovingly at their creation.

"Nice paint job," Tenten smiled.

"And isn't that your customer over there?" Nori said, pointing behind them.

She was right. The figure of Arnold Schwarzenegger was stomping over to the parking lot. The girls ran for cover as the boys stood there nervously, scared out of their wits.

"You…What did you do…to my baby?" the man said, staring at the car. He angrily turned to where the boys SHOULD'VE been standing, but they weren't. "Hey…where'd those boys go?"

GIRLS

"You gotta help us!" Naruto shouted, clinging onto Nori's leg.

"And why should we do that?" Tenten asked.

"Because it was your faults that we're in this mess!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Fine," Nori sighed. "But on one condition."

You have _got _to be kidding me," Neji said.

"Hide here, it's the only place that Schwarzenegger guy won't find you," Nori said.

The group was at the back of the school.

"I am _not _jumping into a dumpster," Sasuke said.

"What kind of dumpster is it?" Chouji asked.

"I think its where they throw out the school lunches…" Ino said.

Chouji shrugged.

"I don't see how this would make a difference," Shikamaru said. "Its still troublesome."

"H-He's coming this way!" Hinata warned from the corner of the school.

"I value my life!" Kiba exclaimed, diving in. His head popped of the trash. "C'mon guys! What's a little dumpster diving?"

"Kiba, that dumpster's filthy," Shino said. "We aren't low-class."

"You know, Shino," Kiba said. "You really bug me." He cracked up. "Get it, Shino? Huh? Bug?"

"Like I've never heard that one before," Shino said.

"That's it! That guy really scares me! Move over, Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed, following Kiba's lead.

"It is a challenge!" Lee declared, diving in.

After a short afterthought, the other boys hopped in as well.

"Now just stay there until he leaves," Sakura said.

"We'll get you when he does," Ino added.

The girls left.

"This stinks."

"Shut up."

GIRLS

The man stopped the girls who were walking around the corner. "Hey girlies," he said. "Have you seen a group of boys?"

"No," the girls said in unison.

"Well, if you see them, tell them that they owe me a lot of money for messing up my paint job," he said.

"Will do."

He walked to the back of the school and opened up his cell phone. "Hey, it's me. I need a new paint job. A bunch of boys screwed it up. Yeah. They're gonna pay. So you'll come over? Good. Later."

He left to go wait out for his "friends".

Inside the dumpster, the boys were shaking in their boots.

"What did he mean by pay?" Lee said timidly.

"We are so screwed," Naruto said, sounding like he was about to cry.

* * *

Yay! Cliffie!Reviewers: BOO! Sigh...

PLEASE R&R! I'm begging!

-TTF


	10. Car Wash Part 2 aka Sasuke goes Crazy

Okay, this one is REALLY short, I know, but it's only short because I have a bunch of other updates and I just updated this on Wednesday, okay? Okay.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Should we tell the guys what that Schwarzenegger imposter's real plan is?" Tenten asked.

"And miss out on all the fun?" Nori said. "Nah."

In the dumpster, the boys were getting a little claustrophobic.

"Can you move your foot?" Sasuke said, annoyed.

"Sorry."

"Okay, I've had enough of this," Neji said, jumping out of the dumpster and shaking himself off as best as he could. "This is stupid."

"Neji! Get back in here or the valued customer will kill you!" Lee exclaimed.

"I'm not doing this anymore," Neji said stubbornly.

"You're right," Gaara said, getting out as well.

"Gaara!"

"No," Gaara said. "Seriously, guys. Do you think that man will actually attempt to murder us at our school?"

"Yes," said everyone except for Shino.

"He'd have to go to jail," Shino said. "And I'm not staying in that dumpster any longer." He got out.

"Fine, but don't come crawling to us when you get pummeled into the ground," Kiba said.

"Don't worry about me," Shino said.

The three shook their heads and left.

"Those guys are goners," Naruto said.

GIRLS

"Neji? Gaara? Shino?" Nori said. "What're you guys doing out here?"  
The other girls came over. "Ugh! You guys stink!" said a girl, holding her nose. The others held their noses.

"We figured it was another prank, having that guy say that we'd have to pay," Gaara said. "He wasn't really going to kill us. That's just drastic."

"No it wasn't," Sakura said. "You guys have to pay."

"It wasn't funny the first time and it isn't funny now," Neji said.

"Where are the other guys then?" Ino asked.

"They're still in the dumpster," Shino said.

"Sasuke-kun's still in there?" Ino said, horrified.

"Yeah," the boys answered.

"Nori, we have to stop now," Sakura whispered. "I mean, isn't this enough? We got them into the dumpster and now they have to pay that scary man. We've hardly raised enough money, and we need to get back to work."

"Fine, fine," Nori sighed. She turned to the guys. "Okay, the first thing I suggest you do is take a shower. Apparently, you reek. And second, that man who owns the car that you guys messed up said that you guys had to pay _him_. Not _pay_. Okay?"

"What?" the boys said.

"Take a shower—"

"We heard that part," Gaara interrupted. "You said that we had to…pay?"

"Yep," Nori said.

"We don't have enough money for that!" Neji exclaimed.

The girls shrugged.

"You girls are gonna help us raise that much money," Gaara said, pointing a finger in their direction. "And you're gonna tell the other guys about your little joke."

"You want us to help _more_?" Nori said.

The three boys glared at her. Shino, Neji, and Gaara…glaring at you. You would be very intimidated.

"All right," Nori said. "Tenten, you and the other girls help out these guys, okay? Hinata, you come with me to convince the boys to end their dumpster diving."

The girls nodded.

She and Hinata walked behind the school and knocked on the dumpster.

"We surrender!" came Naruto as he popped out of the dumpster with his hands up.

"Naruto, shut up," Sasuke said. He looked down. "Its just the _girls_."

"Sasuke, we need to tell you something," Nori said.

"What?" Sasuke snapped.

"You tell him, Hinata," Nori said. "I don't feel like talking to a jerk."

"O-Okay…W-When the man s-said that y-you h-had to p-pay, h-he m-meant that y-you actually h-had to pay him…" Hinata said quietly.

"What?" Sasuke said. "I don't understand you."

"What are you, deaf?" Kiba said. "She said the guy only wants us to pay for his car!"

"Oh."

"Is this a trick?" Naruto asked.

"No," the two replied.

"I wouldn't put it against them," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes.

"Sasuke, stop being paranoid and get out," Nori said. "Unless you wanna smell like tuna surprise for the rest of your life."

"I-If you want, w-we could g-get the o-other b-boys," Hinata said.

"I bet those guys are in on it too!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Th-They aren't…" Hinata said.

"I believe them!" Lee exclaimed, hopping out of the dumpster. "This wasn't much of a challenge anyway!"

"Bushy Brows!" Naruto shouted.

"If you all want to stay in there, fine with me!" Lee said, walking off. "I will help with the fundraiser!"

The many other boys started whispering among themselves.

"Everybody shut up," Sasuke ordered.

"What're you, the head honcho?" a boy asked.

"Yeah! I'm going with the girls on this one!" said another.

The dumpster slowly emptied. There was only Sasuke, Naruto, and Kiba left.

"Well guys?" Nori said. "How 'bout it?"

"We're not coming out," Sasuke said.

"Uh, what he said," Naruto said uncertainly.

"Suit yourselves. C'mon, Hinata," Nori said.

The girls walked off.

GIRLS & BOYS

"The man left for lunch," Sakura reported. "I expect he'd eat a lot, so he may not be back for a while. He's also meeting his friends at the deli and he's going to collect the money once he's done."

"Okay, so we need to clean all these cars in thirty minutes," Nori said. "And raise a lot of money. How much do we have from when we weren't pranking each other?"

"…Ten dollars," Ino said.

Everyone groaned.

"Let's get started then," Gaara said.

At five dollars a car, the group wasn't doing so well. They hadn't earned as much as they thought they would, and it definitely wasn't enough for a paint job. (A/N: I have no idea how much a paint job costs. Let's just SAY it costs a lot. Sorry.)

"We don't…have enough," Tenten said, faltered.

"Great," Neji said. "Just great!"

"How much money do we need now?" Shino asked.

"Like, twenty bucks," Nori answered.

"What about that tip that Mr. Akimichi gave us?" Shino said.

"That's right!" Gaara said, snapping his fingers. "Sasuke has it."

"He tipped you a twenty?" Tenten said in disbelief.

"He uh, bought the candy we had on us," Neji said.

"Oh."

"We have to get Sasuke, then," Sakura said, happy that she'd be able to see Sasuke.

"How are we gonna get him to give us the money?" Chouji asked.

"I have a plan," Shikamaru said.

IN THE DUMPSTER…

"Can we get out now?" Naruto groaned.

"No," Sasuke said. "Unless you wanna get killed."

"But—"

"I SAID NO!"

"I think he's lost it," Kiba whispered to Naruto.

"Yeah…"

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke peered over the side of the dumpster. "WHAT?"

"Er…" Gaara said. "We need that twenty Mr. Akimichi gave us."

"WHY?"

"Stop acting crazy!" Nori exclaimed. "We're trying to save your life!"

"I CAN SAVE MY OWN LIFE!"

"He's delusional," Tenten whispered. "I think the smell might've gotten to him."

"Sasuke, the guy wants us to pay," Neji said patiently. "So pay up."

"NEVER!"

"Your plan isn't working, Shikamaru," Ino muttered. "What're we going to do now?"

"Okay, Plan B," Shikamaru said. "GRAB HIM!"

"WHAT!"

The boys jumped into the dumpster and grabbed Sasuke, tossing him out. The girls caught him.

"LEMME GO!"

"Finally," Naruto said, stepping out of the dumpster.

"Man, this smell is gonna last forever…" Kiba said sadly.

"GIMME BACK MY TWENTY!" Sasuke screamed.

"Sorry, pal," Neji said, holding the twenty dollars out of Sasuke's reach.

"Maybe we should call his brother…" Ino said. "To pick him up. Sasuke looks a little unlike himself."

"You think?" said everyone.

"I'll do it," said some random girl who had a cell phone.

"Shouldn't we tell the principal or something? You know, since he's leaving and all," said another concerned person.

"No. It's already two o'clock," said someone with a watch.

"Two o'clock!" Tenten exclaimed. "That customer should be back any second now!"

Everyone quickly ran over to the front of the school. My, they were having LOTS of exercise today.

The buff customer was waiting in the parking lot and everyone stopped and smiled.

"Hello," said everyone.

"Where's the money?" he said toughly.

"Over here, sir," Sakura said nervously, handing him the bucket of the fundraising money.

He looked in it. "Okay, you're debt is paid."

Everyone cheered.

"It is very good that you've paid up and learned a lesson," the man said. "DON'T DO IT AGAIN!" and he left in his pink car.

"MY TWENTY!" Sasuke bawled.

"Oh Sasuke, you're sick…" Sakura said sadly.

Suddenly, Itachi pulled up into the driveway. "Where's my brother?"

Everyone pointed to Sasuke who was lying on the ground.

"Foolish little brother…" he grumbled. "What happened?"

"Long story," said everyone.

Itachi shrugged. "Whatever. He's going in the back of the truck. I'm not gonna have him ruin my leather with his smell."

The kids shrugged and dumped Sasuke into the back of the truck. He groaned.

"Man, what've you been doing, fool?" Itachi muttered. "Rolling around in garbage?"

"Well, I guess we did pretty good today," Nori said. "Don't you think so?"

"No," said everyone.

"We lost all the money," Ino said. "How good is that?"

"And we smell," Naruto added.

"Not to mention we just wasted a bunch of cleaning supplies," Chouji said.

"And time," Shikamaru said.

A half hour later, the cars were taken by their happy customers. The kids had managed to make a few tips. The teachers had returned from whatever they were doing before.

"So, how much did you kids make?" Kakashi asked.

"Uh…" everyone said. Naruto held out their tips.

"Five dollars…" Kurenai said.

"In change…" Gai said.

"Some fundraiser," Asuma mumbled.

"Anyway," Kakashi said, lightening up the mood. "A few weeks from now, we'll have a snow-shoe hike up a mountain. Won't that be fun?"

"NO!" said the students.

"Here are your permission slips!" Gai exclaimed, throwing pieces up paper in the air. "Turn them in on Monday! Have a nice weekend!"

* * *

I'm really busy! R&R please!

-TTF


	11. Field Trip Part 1

Here's the next chapter! I don't know if its long enough though...oh well! The next one is longer, I promise!

And sorry things are going so slow in the romance department, I'm not all that great at that stuff andI usually keep it pretty low considering I don't know much about romance. But there WILL be some in the upcoming chapters, not to mention a dance later on.

Anyway, I've been WAY busy and school starts soon, so I'm cramming all my updates in this weekend meaning I'm typing everything up ON THE WEEKENDS. There's just not enough time in the week. Sigh.

Thanks for the reviews to everyone who actually reviewed! I love you all!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or songs and games sung and played in a car.

* * *

"On the day of the field trip, everyone had turned in their permission slips. The students WITHOUT parents of course, didn't NEED to turn them in.

"Why won't they _ever _give us a break?" Naruto complained to Nori, Sasuke, Sakura, and Gaara who just happened to be with him for whatever reason. "And how come we can't do _normal _things?"

"Like studying and tests?" Sakura asked.

"Well no…"

"I thought field trips were supposed to be enlightening," Gaara said. "Not to mention fun."

"It's a three-hour snow-shoe hike up a mountain in the bitter cold," Sasuke said. "Just how enlightening and fun will that be?"

"Beats me," Nori said. "But its better than tests, right?"

"I'd rather do a test…" Sakura sighed.

"I wouldn't," Naruto said.

Everyone looked at him. "Duh, Naruto."

"Time to go!" Kakashi announced. He and the other teachers were at the front of the room in his classroom. "We will announce the cars and who the drivers will be."

Kurenai read off the students that would be in her car. "Inuzuka Kiba, Akimichi Chouji, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino."

"Crud," Kiba muttered. "…Girls…and Chouji…"

Sakura and Ino shot each other death glares.

"In my car is Nara Shikamaru," Asuma read.

"What a surprise," Shikamaru sighed.

"Tenten, Aburame Shino, and Uchiha Sasuke."

"Crud," Tenten said. "A bunch of boys…"

Gai whipped out a clipboard with papers…clipped…on the…board… "In MY car is…ROCK LEE!"

"YES!" Lee cheered.

"Sabaku no Gaara, Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, and Hiroshi Nori," he said, less enthusiastically.

"Great…we got the psychotic lunatic gym teacher…" Naruto groaned.

"Gai will be in the leading car," Kakashi said. "So everyone called, leave now while the rest of us prepare."

The mentioned people left as Ibiki started reading his list.

"This will be so exciting!" Lee exclaimed. "I'm going to be the first up that mountain and first there!"

"I'll be with you, Lee!" Gai added.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

The two embraced each other.

"Er…" the others said awkwardly.

"S-Sensei, th-this is your car, r-right?" Hinata stuttered.

"WHAT?" Gai asked, cupping his hand over his ear. "I can't hear you! Oh look! My car!"

He opened the front door to his lime green car…with orange hotrod flames! "Lee! You will sit in the front next to ME!"

"Yes sir!" Lee jumped in the front.

"There are two seats in the middle and three in the back," Gai said. "I will choose who will sit where! We will sit boy-girl! Yes! I am a genius! Hinata and Naruto in the front and Gaara, Nori, and Neji in the back!"

"That is so brilliant!" Lee praised.

Hinata was happy and cheering on the inside because she got to sit next to Naruto.

The kids piled into the car and Gai started to drive.

"Do you think it's safe having Gai drive?" Nori asked.

"No," Gaara and Neji answered.

"Just checking."

Once they had gone on the road, Gai was moving at a…very slow pace.

"Gai-sensei, exactly _why _are we moving so slowly?" Nori asked politely.

"I can't ignore the speed limit!" Gai exclaimed.

"The speed limit is thirty-five," Neji said, pointing to a sign that said the speed limit.

"And you're going at…ten miles per hour…" Naruto said, leaning over.

"Better to be safe than sorry!"

"Right, Gai-sensei!"

Gaara growled. "How long is this trip supposed to be?"'

"Two hours," Nori answered.

"Great…"

"Hey, how about a song?" Gai said.

"Great idea!" Lee exclaimed. "**_If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!_**" Lee clapped his hands and so did Gai.

The car swerved to the left.

"HANDS ON THE WHEEL!" everyone shouted.

"I can't help it if I'm happy!" Gai exclaimed as if he hadn't almost sent the students to their certain doom.

"**_If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!_**"

CLAP. CLAP.

"ARGH!"

MEANWHILE IN KURENAI'S CAR…

Kiba sat pouting in the back of the car sitting in the window seat next to Chouji who was next to Ino. "This sucks so much."

"Watch your language, young man!" Kurenai scolded.

Kiba sighed and sank lower in his chair. "Hey, can one of you guys move over or something?"

"By one of you guys you mean Chouji, right?" Ino said. "I'm practically against the wall!"

"Sorry," Chouji said, scooting over.

"Move, Chouji!" Ino exclaimed. "I need some room!"

"Sorry!"

"Move it!" Kiba shouted.

"No! You have lots of room!" Ino exclaimed. "I need my space!"

"Yeah right, you have a whole bunch of space!"

"BE QUIET!" Kurenai shouted.

"Tell them to move, sensei!" Ino shouted.

"Move, you two! A girl needs her space," Kurenai said.

"You are so sexist…" Kiba muttered.

"What was that?"

"I'm moving," Kiba said, moving over.

"That's what I thought."

"I wonder what Sasuke-kun is thinking right now…" Sakura said suddenly.

"I bet he's thinking that he wants to be with me," Ino said.

"You wish, you pig," Sakura said.

"No, I _know_!" Ino insisted.

"I bet Tenten thinks she's _so _cool because she's the only girl in the car with Sasuke!" Sakura said, crossing her arms.

"I know, she is so lucky!"

"I don't think Tenten even likes Sasuke," Chouji said, putting his two cents into the conversation.

"What do _you_ know, Chouji?" Ino and Sakura said at the same time.

"Sorry…"

Kiba sighed. He was so sick of girl talk.

WITH ASUMA'S CAR…

"Why do we have to go on such a tedious field trip anyway?" Shikamaru groaned.

"Shikamaru, you of all people should know that physical fitness is just as important as mental fitness!" Asuma said.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's so troublesome…I don't want to hike up a mountain for no reason…"

"You're just not good enough," Sasuke said. "I doubt you'll make it up that mountain." And just because he felt like it, he turned to Tenten and said, "You probably won't make it either."

"What was that?" Tenten demanded. "Why do you say that?"  
"Because girls have less endurance than guys," Sasuke said.

"Yeah right," Tenten said, crossing her arms. "That sounds like a challenge."

"You're putting me on that same level as a girl?" Shikamaru said with a pained look on his face.

"Asuma-sensei! Tell these _boys _that girls are just as good as them!" Tenten said.

"Uh…I have to give all my attention to the road," Asuma said.

Tenten narrowed her eyes.

"Say four other boys and you will try to out-hike four other girls and me. The first group up will be the winners. And they have to go _as a team_. Not separately." She knew the boys would never be able to do that.

"And what do I get when I win?"

"When _I _win, I'll get twenty dollars from the losing leader, namely, you."

"I accept that bet," Sasuke said, putting his game face on. "Name your pansies."

"The girls I choose are Nori, Hinata, Sakura, and Ino. Name your losers."

"My guys will be Neji…" He thought for a while. Lee was fast, but annoying. He didn't want an annoying guy on his team, so that cut out Lee, Naruto, and Kiba. The only other guys he knew were Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, and Gaara. "Shikamaru, Shino, and Gaara."

"Why me/Shikamaru?" Shikamaru and Tenten asked.

"Because I know you'll be able to somehow formulate a plan for us," Sasuke said.

"What?" Shikamaru said.

Sasuke shrugged.

"Fine," Tenten said. "Ready to lose, pretty boy?"

"In your dreams," Sasuke said.

"I'm Shino," Shino said randomly.

BACK TO GAI'S CAR…

"**_Eighty-nine bottles of milk on the wall, Eighty-one bottles of milk! Take one down, pass it around, eighty-eight bottles of milk on the wall! Eighty-eight bottles of milk on the wall, eighty-eight bottles of milk! Take one down, pass it around, eight-seven bottles of milk on the wall!_**" Gai, Lee, and Naruto sang together.

The others groaned slightly.

"Make it stop…" Nori groaned.

"I'm gonna crack if I stay here any longer…" Gaara said, twitching a little.

"Naruto, kindly SHUT UP," Neji said, knocking Naruto on the head.

"Ow! C'mon! You guys are just party-poopers! Get into the road trip spirit! **_Take on down, pass it around…_**"

"This is gonna be a looong car ride…" Nori said.

"I don't feel too well…" Hinata muttered.

Eighty-seven bottles of milk later, Gai shouted, "I KNOW!"

"ARGH!" everyone else shouted. Gai had almost given them a heart attack.

"Let's play I Spy!"

"Let's not," Gaara said.

"As my student I order you to play I Spy with me!"

"Fine."

"Okay," Gai sounded like a little kid. "I spy with my little eye something green!"

"Is it…the field?" Nori said painfully.

"Nope!"

"My shirt?" Lee asked.

"Nope! But it's a very strapping shirt, Lee!"

"Thank you, Gai-sensei!"

"Is it that car?" Neji said. _Please let it be that car. _

"Nope!"

Neji groaned.

"Is it your car's interior?" Gaara said, for the inside of the car was dark green. _It better be the interior… _

"NOPE!"

Gaara growled.

"Oh…" Hinata said.

"Hey Hinata, you don't look too good," Naruto said, leaning towards her. "You okay?"

"Mm-mm…" Hinata mumbled, shaking her head and turning a little red. Then green.

"What's wrong?" Nori asked.

"I-I g-get a-a little c-car sick…" Hinata said feverishly.

Gai stopped the car with a sudden jolt. "CAR SICK?"

"Argh!" everyone shouted as they all lurched forward, then back.

Then, Hinata regurgitated.

"ARGH!" Naruto shouted.

"Oh no…" Hinata squeaked.

"Uh-oh…" Nori said.

"That's just fantastic," Gaara sighed.

"Way to go," Neji said sarcastically.

"HINATA PUKED ON NARUTO!" Lee shouted out the window while waving his arms at the other cars that he figured were the other teachers' cars.

* * *

Well, that's it for now! And remember to R&R! I have like, 10 favs. and 9 alerts so I EXPECT to get more than four reviews.

BTW I'd like to thank NoCareChakara and Lady Awesome who are my most frequent reviewers! THANK YOU SO MUCH! And everyone knows frequent reviewers get reasonable favors, whatever it may be.

Of course, reading ANY reviews makes me happy. So again, R&R and the next chappie will come before you know it!

-TTF


	12. Field Trip Part 2

OMG I'm BEHIND! NO! Well, since life isn't a luxury anymore, it's gonna be harder to update. Of course, I won't forget about updating, I'll just remember it and update in like, three weeks or something. I'll try to update sooner!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

THELINEISSTILLNOTWORKINGTHELINEISSTILLNOTWORKING

"Ooooooh…we're on the road agaaaaaiin!" Gai sang more or less on key.

"You sure you're okay?" Nori asked Hinata.

"Mm-hm…" Hinata whispered, muffling her mouth.

"How long now?" Gaara asked anxiously.

"It'll take _days_, no…_weeks _to get there!" Naruto exclaimed dramatically. "I bet we're lost! We haven't seen any of the other teachers for _miles_! WE'RE DOOOOOOOMED!"

"We're here," Neji observed.

"Oh."

"Yes!" everyone cheered inwardly and outwardly.

"FREEDOM!" Naruto screamed, flinging the door open and jumping out. Of course, it was a pretty big car, so he fell flat on his face. "Ow…"

"Is he claustrophobic or something?" Neji said.

"I don't know, but I think I may be after that car ride…" Gaara said.

"Nori! Hinata!"

"Gaara! Neji!"

At that moment, Sasuke and Tenten came running over to them.

"Lee!" Gai shouted randomly.

"Gai!" Lee exclaimed.

"Take this backpack!" Gai yelled.

"Okay!" Lee cried.

"Naruto!" Naruto shouted. "Oh wait…"

"Uh…okay…" Sasuke and Tenten said, standing there confused for a second. Then they snapped their attention back to the four people they had just called.

"Hey, Tenten," Nori said.

"Hello…" Hinata said.

"What do you want?" Neji and Gaara said in unison, not in the tone that they were suggesting a greeting.

"Come with me," Tenten and Sasuke said, grabbing the two males and females.

"Okay, so I kind of made this bet with Sasuke…" Tenten said quickly.

"You _what_?" Nori said, shocked.

"Look, it was the spur of the moment," Sasuke explained to the guys. "I didn't know what I was thinking, and besides, there's no way the _girls _will ever be able to beat _us_."

The guys shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"So how about it?" Tenten asked the girls.

"Oh…" Sakura said. "I don't want to try and compete against Sasuke…"

"I, on the other hand, think he'll be impressed!" Ino declared.

"What? Well, then _I'm _going!" Sakura said.

"Did I say that out loud?" Ino wondered. "Fine, I'm going too!"

Hinata didn't want to let the other girls down. "It…might be fun…"

"Well if everyone else is going to do it, then I will too," Nori said.

And of course, all the boys didn't want to be beaten by a bunch of girls, so they all agreed too.

"But don't let Naruto, Kiba, or Lee in on this," Sasuke warned. "We don't want them to screw up the competition."

"Yeah," Neji agreed. "They would definitely want—"

"Definitely want what?" Naruto asked as he, Kiba, Chouji, and Lee suddenly appeared from behind the other guys.

"Did you notice the girls are huddled up like you guys?" Lee asked obliviously. "Isn't that something?"

"Uh…" the more stoic guys said blankly.

"Never mind!" Kiba shouted, obviously getting bored. "Man, you guys are so slow. But you know what would be fun?"

The guys waited.

"Well?"

"Oh," Shino said. "We thought it was a rhetorical question."

"Haha, no!" Kiba laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world. "Well, _we _thought it would be fun if all of us walk together in a group!"

"It works for the girls," Chouji shrugged.

"I think that's because there are only five of them," Gaara said, gesturing towards the five girls that they actually knew the names of. The other girls from the classes were scattered EVERYWHERE. Like things that were…scattered…everywhere.

"Yeah…but the more the merrier! Except for you, Sasuke," Naruto said. "_You _can just run off alone!"

"Yeah right, Naruto," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

"We kind of wanted to go as this _former _group," Neji said. "Meaning…not you guys."

"NO! We must all go TOGETHER!" Lee declared. Then, he magically grabbed everyone in his arms and raced up the snowy trail.

"Hey! They started already!" Sakura shouted, pointing at the crowd of boys.

"How can he _do _that?" Ino said in disbelief.

"He uh…can't," Tenten said. "Sometimes Lee gets high and starts doing crazy stuff for about two seconds. Then he falls flat on his face."

"Okay…" the other girls said.

"Sh-Shouldn't _we _get started too?" Hinata said.

"Right!"

THUNK.

"OW!" Lee shouted, falling on his face. Except the snow muffled his voice.

"I _told _you to _never _do that again!" Neji shouted angrily. The boys were slightly dispersed around the area two feet from the beginning of the trail.

"Don't start out too quickly or else you'll get too tired," Kakashi said, walking idly by. "Oh, and put on your snowshoes." He dropped a pile of the right-sized snowshoes in front of the boys.

"Right!" Lee exclaimed, pointing a finger in the air. He popped out of the snow and brushed himself off. His face was red so now he looked even _more _ridiculous. Since he was wearing green clothes, he looked exactly like Christmas. With eyebrows.

"Okay…that was pretty rough," Sasuke said, brushing himself off.

"You'd better get your head in the game, Sasuke," Tenten said as she and the other girls walked by.

"Are you okay?" Sakura said, cupping her hands in a worried fashion.

"I'm FINE," Sasuke said, annoyed. He turned to the other guys who were brushing themselves off. Shikamaru was just lying there…staring at the sky with a troubled look on his face.

"Hey! Hurry up!" Sasuke shouted.

The guys stared at him.

"YES! We must get to the top!" Lee shouted.

"You won't beat _me _Sasuke!" Naruto declared as he started racing up the trail then sliding down on the snow. "Okay, do-over!"

"Haha!" Kiba laughed while pointing at Naruto. "I doubt you'll even get _halfway _there!"

"You wanna bet?" Naruto shouted, jumping up then tripping backwards again.

"C'mon," Neji whispered to Sasuke, walking over. "Maybe we can lose the losers."

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded. Then he looked at Shino who looked SO offended that Lee got him all wet and cold, Shikamaru who was ever so slowly getting up off the ground, and Gaara who was just glaring at them all and looking up towards the girls now and again.

"No dice," Sasuke whispered. "We have to get _them _to come too."

"Oh…right…" Neji had a pained look on his face.

In a few minutes, the stoic ones got their snowshoes on. Of course, they had to put Shikamaru's on his feet because if they had let him on his way, they wouldn't get started till next year.

"Okay, let's go," Sasuke said.

"WAIT!" Naruto hollered. "I need help!" He seemed to have the left snowshoe on his right and visa versa.

"Too bad, Naruto," Sasuke said as the others started trekking up the mountain, leaving Naruto in the dust. The snowy dust.

Naruto shook his fist at Sasuke. "This isn't over!"

"It was over before it began," Sasuke muttered.

GIRLS

"D-Do you think i-it was a l-little m-mean to l-leave th-the boys there?" Hinata stuttered.

"No way, they totally deserve it," Nori said.

"Do you think we'll win?" Ino asked. "I mean…they have Neji…and Sasuke."

"Of _course _we'll win!" Tenten said ambitiously. "I mean, I've hiked up this mountain before when I was a bit younger! This'll be a cinch!"

"B-But Neji has too…" Hinata whispered.

"That's right…" Tenten said, looking a little crestfallen. "Well, whatever! We'll still win because we're smarter."

"She doesn't quit, does she?" Sakura whispered to Ino.

"Does that count as a good thing?" Ino answered.

BOYS

"This is so…_beyond_ troublesome," Shikamaru said. "Who knew Uchiha would be the one causing all this."

"I could just drop you right here, you know," Sasuke said, jumping a little to adjust his hold on Shikamaru. "You know how _stupid _this looks?"

"I do," Shikamaru said.'

"Then why am _I _the one carrying you?" Sasuke said.

Before Shikamaru could reply with a totally logically explanation, Neji, who was leading stopped.

"What is it?" Shino said.

"Well…" Neji said, shaking his head. "There are two ways to go from here. One is up the trail and according to the small-sized footsteps…they went that way. And I'm sure everyone else will go that way too. But…on my trip here, I took a shortcut, through these bushes. I got there before the whole family. It's definitely faster."

"Don't shortcuts usually spell out 'trouble'?" Lee asked.

"I _know_ the way," Neji said, looking offended that Lee would even _think _of Hyuuga Neji being lost. IMPOSSIBLE! "You sound like Hinata."

"Well, we're already behind, so there's no use in going the regular way at the speed _we're _going," Sasuke said. "Lead the way, Neji." Actually, if the boys had bothered to turn a corner then they would've seen the girls going at a fair pace. But they didn't.

"This isn't a contest!" Lee exclaimed as if he knew.

"Then _you _and _Kiba _can go up the trail," Sasuke said simply.

"No," the mentioned two said.

Sasuke groaned. "Then be useful and carry this deadweight."

"I'm right here, you know," Shikamaru said. _How did I ever get myself into this? Oh yeah. Uchiha. _

GIRLS

Half an hour had past and the girls were extremely tired.

"Let's…stop…" Ino said, collapsing.

"Again?" Tenten said. "The boys will catch up soon if we keep stopping!"

"Actually, we've stopped three times now and I haven't seen the boys anywhere…" Nori said. "Do you think they're all right?"

"Well…" Tenten said thoughtfully. Then she shook her head vigorously. "No way! There's a clearly marked trail and I doubt any one of them would be stupid enough to fall off the edge."

Hinata coughed.

"What?" the girls turned their attention to Hinata.

"W-Well…I…well…"

"Spit it out, Hinata!" Nori urged.

Hinata gulped. "…L-Last year…the f-family w-went on a h-hike u-up this m-mountain…t-together. Th-Then m-my f-father s-said s-something that a-angered N-Neji…a-and he went a d-different w-way. W-When everyone g-got t-to the t-top…N-Neji was w-waiting."

"A shortcut?" Tenten said, gaping. "Where?"

"W-We…p-past it…a m-moment ago…"

"You have to show it to us, Hinata!" Tenten exclaimed. "We can't let those guys cheat!"

"Tenten…I think you're taking this a tad bit too seriously…" Sakura said slowly.

"I can't tolerate _cheating_!" Tenten declared. She turned to Hinata quickly, making her squeak. "Hinata! Show us the shortcut!"

"Yeah," Nori nodded. "Do it, Hinata. If those guys think they can get away with cheating, I say they've got another thing coming."

"…All right…"

The girls followed Hinata back down the trail and found Naruto resting there. Well…he was lying flat on his back while his chest moved up and down.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata squeaked, turning red from the cold and redder from Naruto's presence.

"Oh…hey…" Naruto said, saluting the girls a little. "Do…you know…where…Sasuke…and the other…guys…went?"

"They went through a shortcut, that's where they went!" Tenten said.

"We're going to put them in their place," Nori said, crossing her arms.

"SHORTCUT?" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly having an extreme burst of energy. "I'm going too!"

"Fine…" the girls sighed. Not everyone wanted to deal with Naruto at the moment, but none of them wanted to deal with Naruto's arguing.

Hinata was followed through the bushes and they were hot on the trail of the boys in no time.

BOYS

"We're lost."

"No we aren't!" Neji insisted.

"Shikamaru's always right, you know," Kiba said.

"Shut up."

"I'm just saying."

"I said _shut up_. And watch your step; the snow is kind of deeper here."

"Neji, don't tell me you got us into a mess," Sasuke said.

"_I'm _not the one who challenged Tenten to this stupid competition!" Neji said, whirling around and glaring at Sasuke. Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to win a staring contest with Neji, so he looked away.

"At least _I _can remember directions," Sasuke said.

"Yeah right," Neji said, crossing his arms defiantly. "You're just a seventh grader, what do you know?" He looked around. "It was…this way."

"That's the way we came," Lee said.

Then Neji turned around and glared at _Lee_. Lee _definitely _couldn't win against Neji.

"Why don't we just go back?" Gaara said. "With the girls' stamina, I bet they stopped a lot."

"No, we're already too far," Sasuke said. "We'll just have to trust Neji to pull as through this."

Everyone coughed.

Neji looked offended. He was being dissed by a bunch of lowly _seventh graders. _And Lee.

"I'm not going to make a mistake," Neji said. Hyuuga Neji did _not _make mistakes.

"Too late," Kiba said, under his breath. And Neji had to muster up all his willpower not to send Kiba flying off the mountain.

GIRLS

"Whoa!"

"…D-Did I…forget t-to mention th-the snow is d-deeper?" Hinata said, turning red.

"That's a useful bit of information you left out," Nori said. She had fallen straight through the snow that was about three feet deep. "Great…stupid snowshoes…"

She clambered out of the snow, snow-shoeless. Her sneakers were covered in white wintry wonder.

"M-Maybe y-you should g-go back…" Hinata said. "I-It may be a l-little d-dangerous w-without the snowshoes…"

"Don't worry, Hinata," Nori said. "I'll be fine. Besides, I _don't _want to lose to the boys. I've walked on snow _tons _of times."

"Well…okay…but…"

"She said she's _fine_," Tenten said. "Let's go!"

Nori nodded. "Right."

Suddenly, they heard a shout.

"Sasuke-kun?" Ino and Sakura said worriedly.

BOYS

"I'm gonna go crazy if I don't get off this mountain!" Sasuke shouted angrily. He tossed Shikamaru to the ground.

Shikamaru looked a little bewildered. "Ow."

"Great…he's lost it…" Kiba said.

"Maybe if we went the right way…!" Sasuke pouted appallingly.

"Stop trying to use that as an excuse," Neji said serenely. "We _all _know that everything that went wrong traces back to _you_."

The two boys' eyes simultaneously darted towards the other boys standing off to the side. "Well?" they said.

The boys exchanged uneasy glances. Sasuke was scary crazy sometimes, but Neji…was scary _and _an eighth grader. They were completely TORN. Or they didn't care.

"Hey guys! What happ—argh!"

Suddenly, Nori came skidding into view without her snowshoes. That, of course, was dangerous. She slid past them and towards the edge.

"What?" Sasuke and Neji said, dazed.

"Nori!" Tenten shouted.

Gaara, who was the nearest grabbed her arm. However, Nori was heavier than she looked. "Crap!"

Lee grabbed Gaara so they formed a three-person chain. Lee couldn't hold onto two people, no matter how strong he was. He clutched the arm of the next nearest person.

"Aw man…" Shikamaru said as he went along with the trio.

The four of them tumbled down, hands linked, down the mountain.

"Ah! What the heck happened?" Naruto exclaimed, clinging to his head.

"Ah! Lee!" Tenten exclaimed, making her way towards the edge. The snowshoes really slow people down… "Nori! Oh man…"

"This isn't good…" Kiba said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Ino said.

"Oh! We're going to be in big trouble!" Sakura wailed. "I've never been in detention!"

"Shut up already," Sasuke said. "We just need to calmly find a way down to help them…"

"You're not exactly the calmest person here," Neji said.

"You…" Sasuke growled.

"Don't start this bothersome fight again…" Shino said, taking the liberty of being a Shikamaru.

"W-What…what will happen to them?" Hinata said quietly. But no one could hear her.

DOWN THE MOUNTAIN…

The four had managed to land safely but not completely unharmed. The snow was very deep and cushioned their landing.

"Let go," Shikamaru and Gaara said, jerking their arms away from Lee.

"Yes!" Lee exclaimed, jumping up. "We are unharmed!" He looked down at his torn jacket and cut arms. "For the most part anyway…"

"Lee, are you okay?" Nori said, getting herself out of the snow for the second time. Then she stopped. "Er…Gaara?"

"Oh…sorry. I was uh…that is…my hand was frozen…" Gaara said, retracting his hand hesitantly. His cheeks were red. But from the cold. Yeah. From the cold.

She smiled. "That's okay." She turned back to Lee. "Your arms are bleeding…"

Lee just shrugged. "It happens I suppose…"

"You should worry about yourself," Gaara said suddenly.

"What?"

He pointed towards her leg. Just above her ankle was a cut that was bleeding slightly as well.

"Ouch…" Nori said as if she had just noticed it. "…It must've been…when I fell…"

"Well this sucks," Shikamaru said, getting up and inspecting his few wounds on his body. He wasn't exactly bleeding to death, but it _was _troublesome. "What a mess…"

"What are we going to do?" Nori said anxiously.

"First we should find a spot where we can rest a bit," Shikamaru said. "And we need to call the teachers. Does anyone have a cell phone on them?"

The boys looked at Nori.

"What?"

"Well…you _are _a girl…" Lee said.

"That doesn't mean I have a cell phone!"

"Do you?"

"Yeah…" Nori said, taking her green cell out of her pocket. She flipped it open and held it up. "No reception."

"Okay…" Shikamaru said, going into thinking mode. "Well…let's just go with the first plan. Then we can find a way back up. Or at least…a way back to the parking lot."

"Okay," said everyone.

Some time later, they found a nice little cave where they could stay and rest. Lee had apologized to a tree as he tore off its bark and handed it to Shikamaru who had produced a fire. Everyone huddled up as close as they could get without getting burned.

They had searched through the backpack Lee had been given and found a First-Aid kit. It didn't take a Shikamaru to know how to wrap bandages around an arm or leg or rub on some medicine.

"Guys…" Nori said quietly.

The guys looked at her questioningly.

"I'm…sorry…for causing this…" Nori said.

"What? You didn't cause this," Gaara said.

"Yeah…if Sasuke and Tenten didn't start this pointless competition, Sasuke would be less fanatical and he wouldn't have shouted. Neji was right…" Shikamaru said. "Everything that went wrong today…was because of Sasuke."

Nori had a lopsided smile and shook her head. "I guess, but…still…"

"There's no need to be sorry," Lee said. "Because we each forgave you telepathically!"

Nori laughed. "I see."

"Hm…" Shikamaru said, observing the fire. "Needs more wood…"

"I shall get it!" Lee declared.

"While you're doing that, I think I'll take a nap," Shikamaru said, yawning. He fell asleep in two seconds.

Nori smiled. "You know…Shikamaru's such a bum, but he's a good guy…"

Gaara shrugged.

"Hey Gaara," Nori said.

"Hm?"

"What you did…when I fell...thanks," Nori said, smiling a bit.

"You didn't expect me to stand there in shock, did you?"

"Actually…"

"Never mind."

"Gaara?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you hiding?"

"Hiding?"

"Yeah. I mean…well…some months ago when Tenten and I were walking home…we saw you help a kid. Everyone at school says that you're some dark emo-boy that only cares for himself. I didn't think it was true…and I still don't. But you're awfully good at keeping that reputation."

Gaara thought for a moment before he answered. "…When I was little, I was a real pushover. People bullied me…and I hated it. Whenever I tried to be nice, I never got any acknowledgment. I felt angry. And I felt that if people wouldn't be kind, then why should I?"

He paused. "…And as soon as I started being dark and calm, people noticed me."

"But were they nicer?"

"No."

"I don't know about you, Gaara," Nori said wisely. "But I think…that everyone loses. At least when you were younger you tried to be nice."

Gaara shrugged.

"But you're _still _nice," Nori said. "At least…to me. Why is that?"

Gaara turned red. "It's just…you were the first friend I ever had."

"You'd have more friends if you were nicer," Nori said.

Gaara glared.

Nori slapped her hand in front of her mouth. "I mean…"

"Forget it." Gaara said. He curled up a little and closed his eyes. "I'm sleeping."

Nori looked at both Gaara and Shikamaru. She knew it was her fault she had gotten them into this mess, even though it was partly SASUKE'S fault. But that was besides the point. There's no way they'd be able to find the teachers and other students soon. She had to do something.

THELINEISSTILLNOTWORKINGTHELINEISSTILLNOTWORKING

That seems like enough for now. CLIFFHANGER! Now the wait will be UNBEARABLE. For all of us. Anyway, R&R please!

-TTF


	13. Field Trip Part 3

Yay! The ruler/line thing is working now! Sorry for the slow update, I have homework, extra curriculum, etc. etc. But that's all in the past!

Don't forget to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Shikamaru tomorrow and Ino the next day! YAY! cough cough

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Gaara was having a very strange dream. He was a small boy again, and was reliving his past.

"_**D-Daddy…" Gaara trembled. "W-What are you doing?"**_

_**His father had a psychotic look in his eyes. "It's too much trouble to have kids. Now that you're mother is gone, there's no reason for any of you to live!"**_

_**Kankuro and Temari backed away from their father, terrified.**_

"_**You're first, Gaara!" **_

"_**N-No!"  
Suddenly, a ray of light blinded Gaara. When he opened his eyes, his father was gone. **_

"_And…I feel sad…that you've closed…your heart."_

"Hey! Hey! Wake up!"

Gaara sat up, his sweat was cold. He glared at Lee who had come back. That idiot was shouting his head off.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked. "I was having a nice nap…"

"Were you sleeping so nicely that you didn't notice someone leave?" Lee demanded. "Where is Nori?"

The boys looked around then realized that they were short one girl.

"Where did she go?" Shikamaru said aloud.

"How careless of us!" Lee wallowed in self-pity. "We, as the men have the duty of protecting the female! Now we've let her slip through our fingers! I am SHAMEFUL! DON'T LOOK AT ME! DON'T LOOK AT _ME_!" he wailed.

"Shut up," Gaara and Shikamaru said at the same time.

"We just need to find her, that's all," Gaara said, getting up. "There's no use killing yourself over it."

"But it's snowing dreadfully out there!" Lee protested.

"You left _that _part out!" Shikamaru exclaimed.

The boys ran over to the opening of the cave. Lee was right. It was snowing heavily outside.

"Our teachers sure know how to plan a field trip…" Shikamaru groaned. "This is so troublesome…"

Meanwhile…

The teachers and students were all at the top of the mountain and were all temporarily residing in a small house. One group of students were extremely nervous about the situation.

"This is so bad…" Naruto said. "Nori and Gaara and Shikamaru and Lee are trapped outside in the storm!"

"Shut up Naruto! That's not something that you shout about!" Sakura exclaimed, knocking him upside the head.

"Kakashi-sensei will count everyone to make sure we're all here soon…what're we gonna do?" Ino asked.

Naruto groaned and rubbed his head. "This is all _you're _fault, Sasuke! If you hadn't challenged Tenten to that stupid contest, we'd all be here!"

"Hey, if Neji—"

"You can't deny that it's your fault, because it is," Neji said stubbornly.

"Stop it already," Tenten said. "We all know that we're _all _at fault in some way…mostly Sasuke…but that's besides the point!"

"Does everyone hate me?" Sasuke wondered.

"We don't, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura and Ino chimed.

"Great…"

"There's no use in hiding it anyway," Kiba said. "What'll we do? Dress up and pass ourselves as them?"

They looked at each other and grinned.

Kiba slapped his forehead.

A while later…

"Sakura, have you seen…Lee, Shikamaru, Gaara, and Nori?" Kakashi said, reading off the missing names from the list.

"Oh…yes," Sakura said. "They're um…over there!" She pointed to the mentioned four…or what looked like them.

"This is so stupid…" Kiba said. "And this lipstick itches!" He rubbed his forehead.

"Stop it, you'll smudge it!" Ino hissed. "You _have _to look like Gaara!"

"Well _you _don't look too much like Nori, so I wouldn't be talking," Kiba said.

"Why do _I _have to be Shikamaru?" Neji asked.

"Because you have the closest hair color!" Ino said.

Neji scowled. "I hate wearing hats."

"Well maybe if you cut your hair once in a while," Sasuke said.

"Shut up, _Lee_," Neji said.

"That's another thing," Sasuke said. "Why did you guys have to ruin my hair?"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Ino said. "But…you were the only one with black hair. I'll fix it!"

"I don't want _you _to touch my hair," Sasuke said.

"This won't work," Neji said. "We can't fool Kakashi with this lame act."

"Then what about Gai?" Kiba said. He pointed to the teacher approaching them.

"Gai?" Neji said in disbelief.

"Hello, my students!" Gai exclaimed. "I see that you are all here! Lee, you look incredibly angry at something, what's wrong?"

"Uh…nothing Gai! Er, Gai-sensei!" Sasuke said as Lee-like as he could sound.

"All right, then! Let your youth shine through the darkness and cold of the storm! We will be back at school before you know it!" Gai hollered passionately as he jogged off.

"Okay…" said everyone.

"I don't…believe that worked…" Neji said.

"Our gym teacher's the most clueless guy on the planet," Sasuke said.

"That's why he's our gym teacher I guess," Kiba shrugged, rubbing his black-lined eyes.

Meanwhile…

"Where the heck would she go?" Shikamaru said. "I mean, we have no reception and no idea where we are. There's nowhere she could get help…"

The boys were currently at their ankles in snow. Their collars were pulled up and they were attempting to see through the storm.

"Do not panic!" Lee warned.

"I wasn't panicking," Shikamaru clarified.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. The cold was unbearable and the gust was quick and stinging. Where was that crazy girl? Making them go through this just because of something stupid. If the storm didn't kill her, he swore he would.

Nori had been walking around, trying to find a signal, help, _anything_ that would be able to bail her and her friends out of this situation. It seemed that nature was against her, because when the storm started up there was no hope in getting anywhere.

She was trying to find her way back to the cave, but that wasn't working too well. Every so often she came across the same place, over and over again. The area looked the same. White. White. White.

_Nori, you idiot…_Nori thought bitterly. _What is _wrong _with you? Why do you do this all the time? _

_**Flashback **_

"_**Nori, you can't come," her mother said sternly.**_

"_**But there are lots of scary things out there…" Nori said. "And it's dangerous! I wanna come to protect you!"**_

_**Her mother smiled. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. Just stay with Uncle, all right?"**_

"_**Okay…"**_

_**A few minutes later, her parents were gone. **_

"_**I'm gonna go ride my bike, okay Uncle?" **_

"_**All right, but be careful!" **_

"_**I will!" Nori promised. **_

_**End Flashback**_

Nori fell. It was no use. She was way too tired…and the cold bit at her skin. Everything went black.

"_**Mother! Father!" **_

"_**Don't look, Nori," Uncle said gravely. "You shouldn't have come. I told you to be safe."**_

**_Nori's eyes were wide and tearful. The heat of the fire had slightly burned her skin. Her parents were gone. _**

_**Nori blacked out.**_

"_**Nori! Nori! Wake up, Nori!"**_

"Wake up."

"Uh…huh?" Nori opened her eyes to see Gaara staring down at her with an expression on his face. She couldn't tell if he thought she was stupid or if he was worried. "Gaara? What…what're you doing here? And where's Lee…and Shikamaru?" She looked around to see that they were still in the terrible snowstorm. She could barely see anything.

"We went looking for you. Shikamaru thought that he may know where the parking lot was, so he said he'd mark a trail so Lee and I could follow. Lee's still looking for you. What were you thinking?"

"Well I…was thinking that I could find some hel—achoo!"

"That's just perfect," Gaara muttered. "Now you've come down with something."

_Way to go, girl, _Nori thought bitterly. She sniffed a bit and said, "It's nothing. I'll be fine."

"We should sue the school for this," Gaara said angrily. "I'm sick and tired of all that's happened."

"I'm sorry," Nori said softly.

Gaara turned around, his expression a little softer. "It isn't your fault."

"Yes it is," Nori said. "Don't try to make me feel better." She shivered.

Gaara instinctively wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry. We'll get out of this."

Nori sighed under her breath and rested her head against his chest. "I hope you're right."

Gaara stood up, Nori still clinging onto him. "We have to go. I'm sure Shikamaru found a trail by now."

"Gaara…if I hold you back…will you leave me?" Nori asked quietly.

Gaara looked down at her with warmth in his eyes. "No. I won't let go of you until we're out of this mess."

Nori smiled.

The two trudged through the snow gradually, blocking themselves from the sleet and hail. Gaara held onto Nori tightly and she returned the favor. They were moving along pretty well until—

"Ah!"

Before Gaara knew it, he was holding onto a shrub hanging off a cliff. The beating snow was so thick that they hadn't seen the edge and had forgotten to turn. He struggled to hold onto Nori who weighed about as much as he did. He strained as he tried to somehow get back up, but it seemed impossible. He grunted. "Nori, are you all right?"

"Gaara…" Nori had tears in her eyes. This was way too much. "Gaara…"

"I won't let go, don't worry," Gaara murmured. He thought hard, but he couldn't think of anything that would help their predicament.

"I'm so sorry…for everything that's happened…" Nori said, looking down sadly. "A-And…I-I can't do this anymore…I-I cause way too much trouble around here…"

"What are you saying?" Gaara demanded harshly.

She looked up at him, smiling through her tears. "I can't stand being trouble in this world…I'm sure that you…and the others would be better off—"

"If you let go, I'm coming down with you!" Gaara shouted.

Nori was startled. She had never heard Gaara shout like that.

"I-I…I told you that I wouldn't let go…until we're out of this mess," Gaara said. "I'm not going to let you keep me from my promise."

"Gaara…thank you."

Suddenly, the shrub seemed to start to give. It started uprooting out of the wall, bit by bit.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. He knew very well that even without one of them holding on it would just evacuate from the cliff. He cursed.

CRACK.

The shrub broke off and Gaara and Nori were about to be sent tumbling down farther.

"Hey!"

"Huh?" Gaara looked up to see Lee holding onto his arm with all his might.

"Lee!" Nori exclaimed happily.

"What…are…you two…doing…down…here…?" Lee grunted, pulling Gaara and Nori up.

"We fell," Gaara said. "How did you know where to find us?"

"I didn't. I heard you guys talking," Lee said.

"Oh…." Gaara and Nori turned red.

"Come on! I know the way back! It's getting awfully thick here…" Lee said. "I'll lead the way!"

The three set off down the mountain _safely _this time, Nori and Gaara behind Lee.

"Um…Gaara…" Nori said quietly, rubbing her arm.

"Mm?"

"Thanks for...holding on," Nori said. "I know you've been through tough things…and I can understand why you're the way you are now…but, for you to do what you did without thinking…well, I could never pull something like that off. Thanks. You're…you're my best friend."

"You're mine too," Gaara said, smiling faintly. He slipped his hand into hers.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lee saw the two. He smiled.

Later…

"What do you students have to say for yourself? Tricking a teacher and not following directions, especially on a field trip!" Gai raged.

The whole gang was sitting in desks in Kakashi's classroom after school. Nori, Gaara, Lee, and Shikamaru were sneezing or sniffling.

"I, for one, am very disappointed in you all!" Gai declared. "Especially you, Lee!"

"Forgive me, Gai-sensei!" Lee sobbed.

"I will! But what do you have to say for yourselves?"

Everyone looked at each other, back at Gai, and narrowed their eyes.

"Worst. Field Trip. Ever."

* * *

Meh...if you sat through that crap I call romance then I'm very happy! Please R&R!

-TTF


	14. The Admirer

Okay, I've been bad. REALLY bad. But I hope this update makes up for it! The story's almost at a close. I estimate another two chapter after this one and it will be complete! HOW EXCITING! Here you go, folks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"AH! SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEE!" Naruto ran around the entire school screaming his heart out. "AH!"

"Naruto!" Nori grabbed the back of Naruto's collar and held him back. "Get a grip!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with you, man?" Kiba asked.

Naruto had rivers of tears running down his cheeks and he grabbed Nori's shoulders. "It's terrible, guys!"

Nori and Kiba exchanged doubtful glances.

"The…the…the…" Naruto stuttered. "End of the year dance is tomorrow…a-and I can't get Sakura-chan to go with me!"

"That's what you call terrible?" Nori said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't have a date either. Dances are pointless, anyway."

"POINTLESS?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah, pointless," Nori said. "Just a bunch of students upping their rep by taking some supposedly popular person to the dance, now that's what I call pointless."

Kiba and Naruto stared at each other and then at her. "You don't know how to dance."

Nori turned red. "So what? It's not like it's gonna help me in life."

Kiba and Naruto laughed.

"Well, if that's all," Naruto chortled. "You don't _need _to know how to dance to go to a dance, you know."

"I don't?" Nori said uncertainly.

"Nope," Naruto said. "And now that _your _problem's solved, I NEED TO SOLVE MINE!" With that, he ran off.

Nori sighed heavily.

"Well, I'm off to find Shino a date!" Kiba said cheerfully.

"What? Shino?" Nori said. "Why?"

"Because he needs one and he and I are best buddies!" Kiba said as if it were obvious. "Later, Nori!"

As soon as he left, Nori found herself alone. She crossed her arms. "Hmph. I don't need a date to go to a dance either! I'll go alone. I can be independent. Why am I talking to myself?" She walked off in a confused way to her next class.

HISTORY

The next class was with Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. She had been grouped up with these three a week ago to do a project together. The project was due tomorrow, but so far, this team hadn't gotten anything done. At least…most of the team.

"Naruto! You didn't even _start _on the written report!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I thought we were supposed to do that together!" Naruto said helplessly.

"_No _you idiot!" Sakura said irritably, smacking him upside the head. "The _poster _is made together, the _written _report is after! You were supposed to research the simplest thing about Rome! The aqueducts!"

"What's an 'Aqua Duck'? Some kind of comic superhero?" Naruto asked.

Sakura was about to pummel Naruto when Sasuke said, "I don't have the assignment done either."

"Why not?" Nori asked.

"You think I have _time _for that sort of stuff?" Sasuke asked her. "I have soccer practice, swimming practice, wrestling team, tuba lessons, there's barely enough time to do the _regular _homework."

"You take tuba?" Nori and Naruto laughed.

Sasuke glared at them. "Do not ask."

"Oh Sasuke, if you were so busy, why didn't you _tell _me?" Sakura asked. "I have an idea. How about I help you with yours?"

"No thanks," Sasuke said quickly.

"Oh. Okay then," Sakura said sadly.

"Look, today we're supposed to do the poster, but if we don't have all the information, we can't do it," Nori said. "So Sasuke, Naruto, _you _guys work on your report and Sakura and I will start the poster. Then _you _and Naruto can do some after school work to finish, got it?"

"Why are you so bossy?" Naruto said, crossing his arms.

"Because _I _don't want to just sit here and do nothing!"

"Well you don't have to take over!"

"Yes I do because you guys can't be independent!"

"Yes I—" Naruto stopped. "…So?"  
"Listen here, you—"

"Hey!" Sakura shouted. "Both of you stop! I think Nori's first idea was good and Naruto, you don't argue! You're an idiot."

"Okay…" Naruto said sadly.

"We want to get a good grade on our final assignment, don't we?" Sakura said.

"Yeah…" said everyone.

"And we want to make this work to the best benefit, don't we?"

"Yeah…"

"And Sasuke-kun will go to the dance with me."

"Ye-no," Sasuke said quickly.

"Oh…"

ENGLISH

Nori sat, half-drooling at her desk as Kakashi droned on and on about who knows whatever. Suddenly, a paper airplane poked her in the eye. She winced, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Owie…" She rubbed her eye lid and unfolded the airplane and read the message inside.

_Nori, _

_I've been thinking about you all day and I've watched you since the beginning of the year. I'm not sure what it is, but something about you makes me feel…different. Please accept my wish of taking you to the dance. Go to the fountain in the heart of the school at nine o'clock. Look for me. _

Nori looked around the room confused. Nothing seemed wrong and nobody was looking at her as far as she could see.

_Strange…_ she thought.

LATER…

The classes had gone by without a hitch. Nori kept thinking who had piloted that painful airplane of admiration. One thing was for sure, there was no way Naruto or Kiba could find out. They'd bombard her with a stupid plan to find that admirer.

"Hey Nori, what's up?" Kiba said, sitting himself down next to her and biting into his sandwich.

"Nothing," Nori said.

"Oh really?" Naruto said, coming in on the other side.

"Yes, really," Nori said nervously. She decided to change the subject before she said something stupid. "So Kiba, how'd it go with Shino?"

"Dude, that guy is like, the opposite of a chick magnet, I'm telling ya," Kiba sighed. "I don't even think he was putting his heart into it."

"Really?" Nori said.

"Well duh," Naruto said. "It's _obvious. _I hate that guy."

"Uh…Naruto…" Nori said nervously.

"He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" Naruto sighed.

Kiba and Nori nodded.

Naruto turned around slowly and smiled sheepishly up at the towering Shino.

"Do you have something to say…Naruto?" Shino said monotonously.

"Hey, good buddy, I was just jokin' you know?" Naruto laughed timidly.

"I don't," Shino said.

"Oh…"

"Hey, it's cool, Shino," Kiba said. "Naruto's just stupid."

"HEY!"

"Hey what?" Kiba snapped.

"Guys, Shino just left," Nori said.

The two boys looked behind them, seeing that Shino _had _left. They shrugged and continued stuffing their faces.

"Well, I gotta go," Nori said, getting up.

"Where to?" Kiba asked.

"Uh…place…" Nori said.

Kiba and Naruto stopped chewing, their mouths still full. They exchanged doubtful glances and then—

"HEY! GET OFF ME! I SWEAR, I'LL KILL YOU TWO IF YOU DON'T GET OFF IN FIVE SECONDS!" Nori hollered.

Naruto wrestled Nori's bag away from her and started digging through it.

"Find anything, Naruto?" Kiba called. "OW!"

Nori jabbed Kiba in the face, but the dog-boy had had practice with pinning someone down.

"Looks like…a paper airplane?" Naruto said, confused. He unfolded it and read the text, smiling deviously. "Ooooooooh…"

"DON'T READ THAT!"

"Sorry, Nori, but you're too obvious," Kiba said. He let go of the girl and raced over to Naruto, his eyes darting across the paper wildly. He started laughing. "YAHOO! Nori's got a secret admirer!"

Nori snatched the paper away from them and flicked them on the foreheads, their weak spot.

"OW!"

The boys rubbed their foreheads simultaneously.

"You guys suck bad," Nori said hatefully.

"Hey, we're your friends, we should know about this stuff," Naruto said. "So…do you know who it is?"

"_No_," Nori said, still angry.

"When did you get it?"

"You know, you two sound like Sakura and Ino," Nori said.

Naruto and Kiba gasped.

"Well I never," Naruto said.

"That's it," Nori picked up her bag and started walking off.

The boys started to catch up.

"Hey, we were just kidding!" Kiba exclaimed. "Nori!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto called. "I bet we can help you!"

"I doubt that," Nori said, but she stopped. After all, those guys _were _her best friends, whether they were complete knuckleheads or not.

A few minutes later, the three of them were looking at the list of people in Hatake Kakashi's class.

"You think its Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Shyeah right," Nori said. "That pretty boy's probably in love with himself."

"That or he's gay," Kiba said.

"True," Naruto and Nori agreed.

"Who could it be…who could it be…?" Kiba said thoughtfully.

Naruto gasped. "I just had a thought." He quickly turned his head towards Nori. "Nori, you can't go out there."

"What? Why?" Nori asked.

"Yeah, why?" Kiba said.

"What if…what if that guy's a creepy perverted stalker who just wants to get you out there to rape you?" Naruto said, his face serious.

ZONK.

WHAM!

"OW! You hit _hard_…" Naruto said, rubbing his arm.

"You idiot," Nori said angrily. "How did _that_ come to your tiny mind?"

"It could…happen…"

Kiba shook his head. "Naruto…"

"WHAT? It could happen!"

"No it couldn't!"

"Idiot…"

"I'm never gonna find this secret admirer!" Nori exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

Little did she know, a few feet away behind a tree was none other than the secret admirer.

LATER THAT NIGHT…

Nori stood in front of her mirror looking doubtfully down at herself. She had rarely ever worn a dress EVER and she was _not _happy about this.

_Oh well, _Nori thought. _Better make the best of it. It'll only be for a few hours. I need to look decent. _

She wasn't the kind to wear any makeup on any occasion, so she pulled the elastic out of her hair and set it on the table. Shaking her head a little and slipping on a dark green headband, she stared at her reflection, wondering who this girl with the blank stare was.

The clock chimed eight o'clock. Time to go.

AT THE DANCE…

"Sasuke-kun, will you dance with me?" Sakura asked sweetly. She was wearing a strapless red dress with a sequin belt. Flower designs were scattered around the fabric and a humble necklace hung from her neck. A ribbon was tied in her hair.

"No," Sasuke said. He was wearing a dark blue sweater with his family's insignia on the back and black pants.

"I'll dance with you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto chimed. He was wearing a bright orange tuxedo with a blue tie. The lights of the disco ball seemed to make his loud attire even brighter.

"No thanks, Naruto," Sakura sighed. "I think I just want to get a drink." She slumped off towards the food table.

"You know what, Sasuke?" Naruto said angrily.

"What, Naruto?" Sasuke said uninterestedly.

"I don't even know _why _you go to these things! Actually, I do! I think it's for the attention!"

Sasuke shook his head. "You just keep telling yourself that, Naruto."

Naruto crossed his arms sulkily while Sasuke walked away, a group of fangirls following him.

"Hey Naruto," Kiba said, putting a hand up. He was wearing a grey jacket with a white shirt underneath. For once, he was clean, other than the red face paint. "How's it going?"

"Not so hot," Naruto sighed. "You?"

"Eh…Shino's hopeless. He won't dance or anything," Kiba said. "What a weird guy. He went somewhere. And Nori's not here either. Have you seen her?"

"Nope."

"Huh…"

"Hi guys."

The two boys looked up. Naruto's eyes widened and Kiba smirked.

"Well, well…" he chuckled. "Look who we have here."

"…Nori?" Naruto said uncertainly.

Nori looked incredible, especially in the dim light. Her dark green dress was simple, the sleeves sliding slightly down her slim shoulders. A faint sparkle made her dress glow slightly as the disco ball turned. Her long, thick, golden brown hair was particularly beautiful as it fell down her back.

Nori stood for a second, then leaned over and snapped her fingers in front of her friends' faces. "Hello? Earth to morons."

The two shook their heads quickly.

"Hey Nori," the two said goofily.

Nori raised an eyebrow. "Hello."

"Come to check out your secret admirer?" Naruto said slyly.

"Why else would I be here?" Nori said simply.

"You look nice, trying to make a good impression?" Kiba chuckled.

"It's a dance, right?" Nori said, eyeing Naruto. "Although…I think the Halloween Dance passed already, Naruto."

Naruto crossed his arms bad-temperedly again. "Like that's the first time I've heard _that _today."

Nori smiled good-naturedly. "Sorry." She looked around at the middle-schoolers having a blast. "So what's there to do?"

"Everything!" Naruto exclaimed. "Dancing, stuffing your face with free food, playing mindless things like spin the bottle in the corner!"

"Spin the bottle?" Nori said doubtfully. "Aren't there chaperones?"

"Yeah, but it's not like they care," Naruto said. "It's just Kakashi and Jiraiya." He jabbed his finger towards the before mentioned chaperones who were discussing the latest Icha Icha Paradise novel.

"I see…"

"Nori!"

Nori turned to see a mob of girls coming towards her. She ducked, her arms a shield in front of her. The wave of females tackled her and stampeded into the girls' lavatory in one swift motion.

Kiba and Naruto stood with confused looks on their faces. "What just happened…?"

IN THE GIRLS' BATHROOM…

"Omigosh, Nori, is it true?" said one girl.

"What?" Nori said, utterly puzzled.

"You have a secret admirer! I note from the heavens, it's _so _cute!" said another.

"A note from the heavens…what?"

"You _know_!" one girl giggled. "You're meeting your dream boat tonight!"

The group of girls giggled restlessly and started chattering, filling the room and Nori's head with high-pitched noise.

Suddenly, an arm pulled Nori out of the chaos.

Nori was out of the room as fast as she had gotten in. She shook her head and opened her eyes to see Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata.

"You okay there, Nori?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah…" Nori said shakily. "What happened?"

"You mean _you _don't know?" Ino gasped. "Everyone knows about your secret meet with your secret admirer!"

"WHO TOLD YOU?" Nori exploded.

Tenten and Sakura cupped their hands over Nori's mouth.

"Not so loud!" Sakura exclaimed. "After all, everyone knows a lot already!"

Nori angrily pried their hands off her face and in a softer but still fierce tone said, "_Who told you_?"

"Who else? Naruto and Kiba," Sakura said.

Nori angrily glanced around the room in search of the two loudmouths that had spread the news.

"Do you know who it is?" Hinata asked timidly.

"No," Nori sighed. "But I'm supposed to meet him at nine."

"We know," the four chimed.

"Right…"

"That's in two minutes," Tenten said suddenly as she glanced at the clock. "You'd better get there! We'll try to stop anyone from spying, okay?"

"Thanks, guys," Nori said gratefully as she ran out of the doors of the gym.

The loud music still seeped through the closed doors as Nori walked on the dark campus. She quietly made her way over to the fountain and sat on the edge, staring up at the stars and wondering who this secret admirer would be. She went over all the boys she had met many times this year and tried to think. _Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Gaara. _

Naruto definitely wasn't her secret admirer. Not only was his spelling terrible and his writing even worse, but that would just be weird. Besides, he was blinded with mad love for Sakura.

Sasuke was the most popular guy in school who had no feelings for anyone in the school as far as she was concerned, and she didn't think he would suddenly have a change of heart.

Kiba wasn't the type to go for her. It was like Naruto without the infatuation with Sakura and all. End of story.

Shino was just…weird.

Lee…no. He was infatuated with Sakura too. Wasn't she a lucky girl?

Neji was as pompous as Sasuke and sexist to boot. Besides, she barely had time to talk to him even if she felt like it.

Shikamaru…he was a nice guy, but too lazy and he never really seemed to have any emotion attachment to her.

Chouji. No.

Gaara…

Before Nori could ponder over Gaara's feelings over her, she heard a rustling in the bushes. She stood up quickly, holding her breath. "Who's…there?"

"I'm glad you came." A figure stepped out from the bushes.

"You're…my secret admirer?" Nori said in disbelief. The voice and the outline of the figure were so familiar, and she knew exactly who it was when he first spoke.

Shino.

* * *

Mwahahaha! Cliffie! A reader's worst enemy. R&R please! I'm sure the next update will come WAY faster than this one. I actually know what I'm gonna write about.

-TTF


	15. The Last Day

Woohoo! Last chapter! Now I can sleep well at night knowing that I have one less story to update! Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"..Shino?" Nori said quietly. She walked over to him.

"I've been watching you," Shino said. He held out a bouquet of flowers that glistened in the moonlight.

"I…don't know what to say…" Nori said truthfully. She tried to get a glance at his face when she took the flowers, but his high collar and glasses prevented her from seeing anything.

"You're surprised," Shino observed.

"I am," Nori nodded, still a bit shocked.

"You don't like me."

"Yes I do," Nori said quickly. "But…not the way you do. I'm sorry."

"I figured so much," Shino said unfeelingly.

"I'm sorry," Nori repeated. "You're a really nice guy and I still want to be friends. Is that okay?"

"All right," Shino said.

"Shino…are you okay?"

"Yes. Thank you, Nori."

Nori smiled and Shino walked away, back into the night.

She seated herself back on the edge of the fountain. She was a little disappointed and felt a little guilty, even though she knew it was probably some boy-type phase or whatever.

The flowers _were _kind of pretty, Nori had to admit. She lifted the bouquet to her nose and smelled the sweet smell of roses, lilies, and whatever other flower Shino had picked. She didn't know, she wasn't a botanist.

"Waiting for someone?"

Nori jumped with a small gasp and turned to see a figure, shorter than Shino. She squinted slightly and saw who it was. "Gaara…" she turned back around and sighed. "I _was_…but…wait, how did you know?"

Gaara sat down next to her. "Everyone knows."

"Right…" Nori sighed heavily once more. "I guess…I wasn't expecting who came."

"Who were you expecting?"

"I don't know…but I wasn't expecting…Shino…and it was so hard to just tell him no…you know?"

"Not really."

"Oh."

"Are you planning on sitting here all night?" Gaara said.

"No…I guess not," Nori said indecisively. "I mean, maybe…why did it have to be me?"

Gaara looked up at the starry sky. "You know, you're a likeable person."

"Huh? Oh…thank you."

"It's not a wonder he liked you. It doesn't matter who he is."

Nori smiled good-naturedly. "That's really sweet, Gaara."

Gaara turned a bit pink in the cheeks, but said, "It isn't hard to say what's true. You're smart, funny, talented, beautiful—"

He was suddenly stopped by Nori who had kissed him in mid-sentence. The two sat there for a moment, then broke apart, Nori smiling softly.

"I don't take compliments well."

Gaara's face was almost as red as his love kanji. He was shocked.

"Do you like me, Gaara?"

"…More than you'll ever know."

And for the first time, Nori blushed.

The next day…

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's—"

"Shut up, Naruto!"

"Sorry…" Naruto said.

"Hey, did you ever get Sakura to dance with you, man?" Kiba asked.

"Nah…but Hinata danced with me!"

Kiba scoffed. "I bet she felt sorry for you, she's that kind of person."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Could you guys shut up for about two seconds?" Nori said, annoyed. "And it's the last day of school already, so set aside your differences! NOW!"

"Okay, okay…" Kiba and Naruto said.

"I'm sorry, Kiba," Naruto said. "As sorry as I'll ever be."

"And I'm sorry, Naruto," Kiba said, "that you're an annoying butt crack off the face of the world."

"WHY YOU—"

"Kidding! Mostly…"

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms, turning his back to Kiba.

"So…Nori, what's the deal with your secret admirer? I gotta know," Kiba said.

"No way, I heard what you two did. Telling the whole school about it, that was so cruel and unusual."

"Come on! It would've gotten out anyway! And it was mostly Naruto."

"HEY!"

"Too bad."

"It was Gaara, wasn't it?"

"No." And she wasn't lying either.

"IT WAS!"

"NO IT WASN'T!"

"Okay," Kiba smirked.

"I bet it was," Naruto said.

"You guys act like girls."

"WE DO NOT!"

"We're MEN!" Kiba said, thumping his fist against his chest.

"Yeah, what he said!" Naruto said, sitting up straight and puffing up to make himself look bigger…which didn't do much good for him since he's only like, under five feet.

"Whatever," Nami said, turning her back on the two boys.

"What's the matter?" Kiba asked.

"Nothing!"

"You're terrible at lying."

"I know…" Nori sighed. "It's just—"

BRING!

Nori cursed the bell under her breath. "I've gotta go."

First period of the last day was Drama class. She shared that class with Ino, Sakura, Gaara, Lee, and Shino.

"Ah, the last day of school," Mitarashi Anko said. "I'm sure you all are pumped to get through school and get home to hang out, huh?" She laughed pleasantly then slammed her hand on the table. "BUT NO! Now that it's the last day, I expect the BEST of you all, you got that? This'll be the last play we do, and I expect to air it today at lunch, you got that? Now, we all studied the scripts of three plays that we were thinking of doing, and I came to the conclusion of the ending play! The name of the play is Sleeping Beauty!"

There were a series of groans and cheers throughout the classroom.

"Does this involve actual kissing then?" Nori asked.

"I'm sure you all are old enough. Besides, in high school, you'll be doing Romeo and Juliet, so, I trust that you all studied your parts over the past week! Now, line up by character, now!" She flipped the switch on the overhead projector and a list of the characters and students appeared.

Nori stood up and moved to the table of main characters along with Sakura, Gaara, Ino, and a few other people. Sakura had the part of the first fairy, Ino was the second fairy, Gaara was the prince, and Nori was…you guessed it, Sleeping Beauty.

After a few minutes of going over lines, the class crowded together and rehearsed. After a few quick shouts from Anko, the camcorder was set up and Anko was taping the play. They had done this so many times before in the second semester, it was natural and easy.

Nori was now lying on the bed "asleep". She wasn't too fond of this part since she had to sleep through pretty much half of the play, but Anko seemed to feel like it was "the role she was born to play". After yesterday, she was a bit shaken to be around Gaara, no matter how sweet he could be.

She didn't even realize she liked him so much until yesterday. What was it about him?

As Gaara walked onto the stage quietly towards her, thoughts ran through her mind.

_Well, _she told herself. _He's barely lovable half the time I've known him, but…the half of the time he is, it seems…so special…and…_

Gaara was now at the bed. Nori felt his warm hand touch her face tenderly.

_Whenever I'm with him…I feel…_

She felt a pair of lips touch hers, giving her a gentle kiss. Not too long, and not too short.

_Safe. _

LUNCH

"Ah yeah!" Kiba cheered, tearing open his lunch bag and digging in like the canine he was. "Mom always packs the best lunch on the last day of school!" He revealed a beefy sandwich that had barely fit in the bag.

"I get the best lunch _everyday_!" Naruto exclaimed, unscrewing the cap of his thermos. "RAMEN!"

The two boys grinned widely and said, "ITADAKIMASU!"

Nori giggled. Her two best friends, Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto were complete gluttons sometimes. But who wouldn't be on the last day? She finished off her lunch quickly as well, and turned her attention to the widescreen that was placed in the lunchroom for the last lunchroom broadcast.

Principal Tsunade walked up onstage and clapped her hands loudly. "STUDENTS! ATTENTION!"

The room grew quiet.

She cleared her throat. "I'm sure you're all excited to start your vacations, no? But for the last thirty minutes of the lunch period, please enjoy this performance by the Anko-sensei's Drama Class, Sleeping Beauty!"

As the screen started playing the performance, Nori glanced about the room, looking for a certain someone. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see…

"Hello," Gaara whispered, sitting down next to her.

Nori smiled. "Hello."

Naruto and Kiba grinned silently as they watched the Drama Class's show, grinning especially broadly when they saw the true moment of the play. As soon as it ended, the room erupted in applause. Some nearby boys nudged Gaara playfully. It had seemed as though Gaara had been able to make some friends…

Nori laughed, hugging Gaara subconsciously, causing him to turn pink.

Tsunade walked back onstage and said loudly, "And that ends our year here at Konoha Middle School! I leave you all with one piece of advice: be open to change, my students, and who knows? Next year may be as changeable as this year! No go off and start your summer!"

"YAHOO!"

"YEAH!"

* * *

Well, thanks for reviewing this whole story everyone! Don't for get to R&R this last chapter as well! Who knows? Maybe I'll do a sequel...sometime in the future...eventually...

Thanks again!

-TTF


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